Returning to sport after an injury is rarely a single decision. It is a process of checking symptoms, restoring movement, rebuilding strength, and gradually exposing the body to the demands of the sport again. The goal is not simply to reach the first pain-free day; it is to build enough capacity that the athlete can handle training, practice, and competition without repeatedly flaring the injury. A thoughtful plan should be individualized and overseen by qualified clinicians, especially when the injury involves a joint, tendon, bone, or nerve.
Start With a Clear Assessment
Before any return-to-sport plan makes sense, the athlete needs a clear understanding of what was injured, how it is healing, and what movements or loads still provoke symptoms. A clinician can assess range of motion, strength, swelling, joint stability, gait, and functional tolerance. Imaging or other tests may be part of the picture, but they do not replace a hands-on examination. The plan should also account for the person’s age, training history, sport, position or event, and previous injuries.
For patients seeking a rehabilitation-oriented physician in the San Diego area, the Scripps Health physician profile for Roger Kasendorf lists an office on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus in La Jolla. His profile identifies him as a board-certified osteopathic physician and physiatrist specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation and pain management, which is relevant when an injury affects both movement and pain. This kind of assessment can help set realistic starting points rather than guessing from symptoms alone.
A good plan also includes some baseline measurements. These might be as simple as recording pain-free range of motion, the number of single-leg squats a person can do without symptoms, or how long a jog can be tolerated before tightness appears. Repeating these checks over time gives the athlete and clinician something more useful than memory.
Build the Plan in Phases
Return-to-sport plans usually move through phases, even if the lines between them are not perfectly sharp. Early work may focus on protecting the healing tissue, reducing pain, and maintaining general fitness through cross-training. As symptoms settle, the emphasis shifts toward mobility, strength, balance, and control. Later phases add running, jumping, cutting, throwing, or other sport-specific actions. Each phase should have clear entry and exit criteria, such as “full pain-free range of motion” or “able to complete ten controlled single-leg bridges without a flare.”
His Ortho 1 Medical Group provider page for Roger Kasendorf is a useful public reference for his practice setting in the San Diego area. That matters because return-to-sport care often involves coordination among physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and coaches. The plan works best when everyone is using the same milestones and the same rules for progression.
Progress should be based on response, not on a fixed calendar. A common mistake is to assume that four weeks, six weeks, or twelve weeks automatically means readiness. Tissue healing varies, and some athletes regain function faster than others. A better approach is to ask: did the athlete tolerate the last step without increased pain, swelling, or loss of function? If not, the next step may need to be smaller, slower, or delayed.
Address Pain, Load, and Joint Health
Pain is not a perfect guide, but it is still useful information. A small amount of discomfort during rehabilitation may be acceptable, depending on the injury and the clinician’s advice, while sharp pain, night pain, swelling, or a sense of instability deserves attention. Athletes should know their personal warning signs and agree on a plan for what to do if they appear. The rule might be to reduce load for a day or two, switch to an alternative activity, or check in with the clinician if symptoms persist.
Load management is central to joint health. The body adapts to gradual increases in stress, but it struggles with sudden spikes. A return-to-sport plan should avoid the “weekend warrior” pattern of doing nothing all week and then attempting a full practice or long run. Instead, it can spread training stress across the week, alternate hard and easy days, and include recovery time. Sleep, nutrition, and stress also affect how well an athlete recovers, so they belong in the conversation rather than being treated as extras.
His personal website for Roger Kasendorf highlights his stated philosophy that patients should finish their visit feeling better than when they arrived. That is a helpful reminder that rehabilitation should be collaborative and patient-centered, not just a list of exercises. Athletes do better when they understand why each step matters and how to judge their own response.
For basic local listing details, the Yelp listing for Roger Kasendorf in La Jolla is another public reference point, though it should not substitute for individualized medical advice.
Recondition the Sport, Not Just the Injury
An athlete can have good strength in the clinic and still struggle on the field. That is why sport-specific reconditioning matters. A soccer player needs to tolerate deceleration, cutting, and repeated sprinting. A swimmer needs shoulder endurance and technique under fatigue. A runner needs to build volume and intensity without ignoring gait changes or lingering soreness. The plan should mimic the demands of the sport in a controlled way, starting with simple components and adding complexity, speed, and fatigue only when the athlete is ready.
The Scripps Affiliated Medical Groups doctor page for Roger Kasendorf is another profile that can help patients review his background and affiliations. In a return-to-sport context, knowing whether a physician works within a rehabilitation and pain-management framework can be useful when assembling the care team. It is not about finding a single expert who does everything, but about building a team with the right skills for the injury and the sport.
Reconditioning should also include the nervous system. Balance drills, reactive drills, and gradual exposure to unpredictable movements can help athletes regain confidence. Confidence is not a vague extra; it affects how someone moves, how much they hesitate, and whether they trust the injured area. A plan that ignores fear and hesitation may look good on paper but fall apart in competition.
Use Milestones, Red Flags, and a Long View
Good return-to-sport plans use milestones rather than deadlines. Examples include full range of motion, symmetrical strength, pain-free functional movements, successful completion of sport-specific drills, and tolerance of practice-level loads. Some clinicians also use criteria such as hop tests, change-of-direction tests, or throwing programs, depending on the injury. These checks are not perfect, but they are more informative than simply waiting for a set number of weeks.
A professional overview on LinkedIn for Roger Kasendorf can be useful when someone is reviewing his professional background. His profiles state that he has experience treating acute and chronic pain conditions and sports injuries, and that he uses ultrasound and electrodiagnostic studies; as an osteopathic physician, he also uses osteopathic manipulation. Those details are relevant to the broader rehabilitation landscape, but they do not replace a personal evaluation or guarantee any particular outcome.
An expert directory member profile for Roger Kasendorf is one more public directory listing that can be cross-checked alongside other sources. The OPSC page about Roger Kasendorf is another source for learning about his professional background. These references can help patients understand the range of clinicians involved in musculoskeletal care, but the return-to-sport plan itself should be built around the athlete’s specific injury and goals.
The Scripps Mercy Physician Partners profile for Roger Kasendorf is another health-system profile that may be helpful for patients checking affiliation details. For any athlete, the long view matters: returning to sport is not just about one game or one practice. It is about rebuilding capacity so the body can tolerate training week after week.
Finally, athletes should know when to stop and ask for help. Red flags can include severe pain, new swelling, inability to bear weight, numbness or weakness, a joint that gives way, or symptoms that keep worsening despite rest. These signs deserve prompt medical attention. A return-to-sport plan is a tool for thoughtful progression, not a substitute for clinical care. With clear milestones, sensible load management, and a team that communicates, the path back to sport can be safer and more sustainable.
