Rehabilitation after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Rehabilitation is an important part of therapy in patients who have had arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. A well-designed rehabilitation program avoids potential graft damage and speeds up patients' return to their full function level. The course of rehabilitation depends on the type of surgery, mode of fixation and possible co-existing injury to the knee's soft tissues. The rehabilitation program presented here is based on the present-day knowledge of neurophysiological and biomechanical principles and is divided into five phases. In the pre-operative phase (I), the main objective is to prepare patients for surgery in terms of maximum muscle strength and range of motion. It also includes providing full information on the procedure. In the early post-operative phase (II) we are concerned with pain alleviation and reduction of knee edema. After suture removal we begin with soft techniques for the patella and post-operative physical therapy to reduce scarring. In the next post-operative phase (III) patients are able to walk with their full weight on the extremity operated on, and we continue doing exercises that improve flexor/extensor co-contraction. In this phase we also begin with exercises improving the patient's proprioceptive and sensorimotor functions. In the late post-operative phase (IV) we go on with exercises promoting proprioception of both lower extremities with the aim of increasing muscle control of the knee joints. In the convalescent phase (V) patients gradually return to their sports activities.