RESEARCH

The evidence behind Pitch Ready.

Our clinical model is grounded in published research across ACL rehabilitation, return-to-sport outcomes, hamstring performance and lower-limb function.

RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Published work that shaped the platform.

Pitch Ready grew out of research asking a practical clinical question: how do we better understand athlete readiness when simple pass/fail measures do not tell the whole story?

4 Published research items
ACL Return-to-sport outcomes
HSI Hamstring performance
RTS Clinical decision support
THE CORE IDEA

Return-to-sport decisions need more than simple symmetry scores.

Much of the research behind Pitch Ready sits around a simple problem: clinicians are often asked to make high-stakes return-to-sport decisions using incomplete or overly narrow information.

The published ACL work helped establish the difference between basic clinical tests and more meaningful functional performance measures. That thinking now sits at the heart of Pitch Ready’s approach to athlete testing.

The aim is practical: better data, better interpretation and clearer decisions.

How the research translates into practice.

  • Move beyond isolated clinical measures
  • Test function in ways that better reflect sport demands
  • Benchmark athletes against meaningful reference data
  • Interpret results through experienced sports physiotherapists
  • Turn testing into clearer rehab, RTS and performance recommendations
PUBLICATIONS

Published research.

The current Pitch Ready research library includes work across professional rugby league hamstring architecture, ACL return-to-sport outcomes and lower-limb functional performance.

HAMSTRING PERFORMANCE

Determinants of hamstring fascicle length in professional rugby league athletes.

Research investigating hamstring fascicle length within professional rugby league athletes and the factors that influence it.

McGrath, T.M., Hulin, B.T., Pickworth, N., Clarke, A., Timmins, R. (2020). Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(5), 524–528.
VIEW ARTICLE
ACL RETURN TO SPORT

Functional performance tests correlate with return-to-sport outcomes.

Part 2 of the ecological ACL reconstruction study, focused on how functional performance tests relate to return-to-sport outcomes.

McGrath, T.M., Waddington, G., Scarvell, J.M., Ball, N., Creer, R., Woods, K., Smith, D., & Adams, R. (2017). Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 5(2).
VIEW ARTICLE
ACL CLINICAL TESTING

Clinical tests do not correlate with return-to-sport outcomes.

Part 1 of the ecological ACL reconstruction study, focused on the limits of clinical tests when predicting return-to-sport outcomes.

McGrath, T.M., Waddington, G., Scarvell, J.M., Ball, N., Creer, R., Woods, K., Smith, D., & Adams, R. (2016). Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.
VIEW ARTICLE
LOWER-LIMB FUNCTION

The effect of limb dominance on lower-limb functional performance.

A systematic review exploring how limb dominance may influence lower-limb functional performance.

McGrath, T.M., Waddington, G., Scarvell, J.M., Ball, N.B., Creer, R., Woods, K., & Smith, D. (2016). Journal of Sports Sciences, 34(4), 289–302.
VIEW ARTICLE
RESEARCH TO PRACTICE

What this means for Pitch Ready.

Pitch Ready applies this research base through sport-specific assessment, clinical interpretation and clear reporting for teams, clinicians and partner facilities.

01 — TEST BETTER

Assess the movements that matter.

Pitch Ready focuses on sport-relevant movement, capacity and biomechanical measures rather than relying on isolated tests alone.

02 — BENCHMARK CLEARLY

Compare athletes against useful reference data.

Athlete results are interpreted against normative data, helping clinicians understand what is normal, what is lagging and what requires action.

03 — ACT CLINICALLY

Turn results into recommendations.

Pitch Ready clinicians translate data into practical rehab, return-to-sport and injury-prevention decisions.

WHERE IT SHOWS UP

Research-led services across Pitch Ready.

The research foundation supports the way Pitch Ready works with facilities, professional teams, Sydney clinics and individual athletes.

BIOMECH

For labs and capture partners.

Turn existing 3D capture into processed reports, benchmarks and clinical interpretation.

EXPLORE BIOMECH
PRO

For professional teams.

Whole-squad screening, RTS testing and clinical decision support across the season.

EXPLORE PRO
SYDNEY

For clinics and athletes.

REC partnerships and patient services backed by Pitch Ready’s testing and interpretation model.

EXPLORE SYDNEY
WORK WITH PITCH READY

Put the evidence to work.

Contact Pitch Ready to discuss BioMech, PRO, REC, Sydney Clinic services or broader return-to-sport and performance support.