Use this as a reading checklist beside the full topic pages — not as medical clearance.
Educational summary only.
Red flags
- Progressive neurological deficitWorsening weakness, saddle anaesthesia or bowel/bladder change needs urgent review.
- Unexplained fever or night painSystemic features with musculoskeletal pain raise infection or malignancy concerns.
- Trauma with inability to bear loadOttawa-style rules and fracture pathways apply after significant injury.
- Vascular or visceral signsChest pain, sudden severe headache, or abdominal symptoms are not “rehab problems” first.
Common don’ts
- Ignoring red flagsNeurological, systemic or trauma flags are not “push through” moments.
- Sudden volume spikesLarge jumps in sport, gripping or lifting volume often precede flares.
- Pain as the only guideSome programmes allow mild symptoms; none ignore escalating or night pain.
- Skipping criterion testsCalendar clearance without strength or hop/task tests raises re-injury risk in sport pathways.
- Copying elite programmesHigh-performance templates assume screening, recovery resources and baseline capacity most people lack.
When to stop
- Sharp or radiating escalationStop the session and reassess technique, dose or diagnosis pathway.
- Loss of bowel/bladder or saddle sensationEmergency pathway — not a rehab tweak.
- Unstable swelling after traumaRule out fracture or significant ligament injury before loading.
- Systemic illness with joint painInfection and inflammatory disease need medical work-up.
Return checkpoints
- Near-full comfortable ROM for the goalEnough motion to perform the task without compensatory collapse.
- Strength / endurance benchmarksSide-to-side or normative targets agreed with the clinician.
- Task tolerance under fatiguePerformance holds when slightly tired, not only when fresh.
- Shared decision on riskAthlete, clinician and coach (if any) accept residual risk explicitly.