Presentation description
In this presentation, Matt Taberner, former Director of S&C at the Orlando Magic and now Academy Head of Physical Performance at Manchester City FC, explores the concept of return to performance after injury in elite sport. He builds on the Return to Sport Continuum—from participation to sport to performance—highlighting the complexities of progressing athletes back to or beyond pre-injury levels. Drawing on research across the NFL, NBA, AFL, and European football, Matt shows that return to performance is rare after severe injuries like ACL or Achilles ruptures. He emphasizes that performance is defined differently by players, coaches, staff, and clubs, and that recovery is gradual, context-specific, and not captured by a single metric. Through case studies and data, he advocates for a broader, long-term view of recovery, grounded in collaboration and communication across stakeholders.
Learning objectives
- Clarify the progression from return to sport toward return to performance by recognizing that true performance recovery is rare and requires nuanced staging.
- Understand the multifaceted nature of performance recovery in recognizing that “performance” holds different meanings for players, coaches, and clubs, and that recovery must be approached as a gradual, context-specific process.
- Learn to embrace a collaborative, case-based framework for long-term return-to-performance planning.
About the presenter
Dr. Matt Taberner is an accomplished sport scientist and rehabilitation expert with over a decade of experience in elite football, having held key roles including Head of Sports Science and Head of Rehabilitation at Everton FC, as well as Lead Academy Sports Scientist at Aston Villa FC. He currently serves as Head of Physical Performance at the Manchester City Academy and holds a Professional Doctorate in Applied Sports Science from Liverpool John Moores University—where his research led to the development and evolution of the influential “control-chaos continuum” framework for guiding return-to-sport rehabilitation.
CEU information
Physical Therapy CEUs
California: Our organization is an approved provider of continuing education for Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants in California (CA) by Redefine Health Education, a recognized approval agency of the Physical Therapy Board of CA.
Massachusetts: Our organization is an approved provider of continuing education for APTA Massachusetts.
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Courses approved by other APTA chapters in the following jurisdictions are likely accepted for licensure credit based on the state regulation:
AZ | DC | MD | MS | NM
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Athletic Training CEUs
Sportsmith (P12247) is approved by the Board of Certification, Inc. to provide continuing education for Athletic Trainers. All programs are eligible for Category A CE. ATCs are responsible for claiming only those hours actually spent in educational programming.
Contact hours
- Reading time = 10 minutes
- Video length = 27 minutes
- Quiz = 10 minutes
- Total contact hours (rounded down to nearest 0.25 hr) = 0.75
How to receive you certificate
- Watch the full video below. When you are within 10 seconds of the end, a download box will appear in the blue box below. When you click that button your certificate will be automatically downloaded
- Complete the competency assessment
- Complete the course evaluation
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Competency assessment
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Course evaluation
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