Begin each session with a few minutes of walk ing or

• Begin each session with a few minutes of walk-
ing or other form of dynamic warm-up before
beginning the running portion of the workout.
• Perform no more frequently than every other
day. Do not run two days in a row. During
phases 4, 8, and 12 (noted with an asterisk
in the table), rest at least two to three days
between running sessions.
• Perform at a sustainable pace on a level surface.
• Stop if experiencing increased pain, swelling,
or stiffness. Such symptoms might not arise
until the day after running. Do not run again
Table 16.2
Sample Return-to-Run Progression
Level Run (min) Walk (min) Repetitions Total time (min)
1 1 5 5 30
2 2 4 5 30
3 3 3 5 30
4* 4 2 5 30
5 5 1 5 30
6 10 5 2 30
7 12.5 2.5 2 30
8* 15 15 1 30
9 17.5 12.5 1 30
10 20 10 1 30
11 22.5 7.5 1 30
12* 25 5 1 30
13 27.5 2.5 1 30
14 30 0 1 30
*Schedule two to three days of rest between run days.

Care and Rehabilitation of Injured Tactical Populations 451
until these symptoms are gone, and then
resume running at the last phase in which run-
ning was pain free. Discuss with medical and
rehabilitation professionals when in doubt.
• Try each phase at least twice; progress only if
there is no increased pain, swelling, or stiff-
ness. If there are no setbacks, the program will
last about four months.
• After phase 14, if greater running distance is
desired, progress gradually by no more than
10% per week.
Monitoring Progress
of Injured Individuals
Through Functional Assessment
Evaluation of the injured tactical athlete is an
ongoing process. Every training session and sub-
sequent recovery period provides an opportunity
to assess whether the physical stimulus is elic-
iting the desired response. When rehabilitation
progresses to the return-to-function phase, the
TSAC Facilitator then selects functional assess-
ments that give insight into the tactical athlete’s
readiness for unrestricted duties. Although there
are many such tests, few have strong evidence to
support their use (25, 26).
The single-leg hop for distance shows moderate
responsiveness to changes during rehabilitation
and thus might be used to gauge progress after
lower extremity injuries (26). There is also mod-
erate evidence that the single-leg hop for distance
and the hexagon hop give insight into ankle sta-
bility; therefore those tests should be considered
after ankle injury (25). In the same analysis of
the literature on performance tests, only perfor-
mance on the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT)
performed in three directions (anterior, postero-
medial, and posterolateral) was associated with
injury risk (25). The SEBT is a relatively expedient
way to evaluate multicomponent function of the
lower extremities. Value is likely added when tests
such as the SEBT are considered in conjunction
with demographics and injury history (39).
Given the lack of valid and responsive func-
tional assessments, the TSAC Facilitator must
frequently take a practical approach to assessing
function. The varied physical demands of the
tactical professions often require the TSAC Facil-
itator to go on-site to observe occupational tasks
and evaluate the tactical athlete’s execution and
response to the task in light of previous injury
pathomechanics (53).