Lateral meniscus repair in a professional ice hockey goaltender: a case report with a 5-year follow-up.
METHODS
Case report of a professional ice hockey goaltender who underwent an arthroscopically assisted lateral meniscus repair.


BACKGROUND
Rehabilitation of isolated meniscal repairs is not well documented in the literature. There is little knowledge about the healing time and the choice of rehabilitation exercises to be applied to a repaired meniscus. The objective of this case report is to describe a criterion-based, supervised, sport-specific rehabilitation protocol for a high-level athlete with a lateral meniscus repair from the first postoperative day until return to competitive sport, including a 5-year follow-up.


METHODS
The criterion-based protocol used with this athlete was based on a sport-specific neuromuscular rehabilitation approach. Data collected included range of motion, strength, neuromuscular control, and magnetic resonance images.


RESULTS
This high-level athlete was able to return to sport 103 days after surgery and no reinjury of the lateral meniscus occurred up to 5 years after surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
The sport-specific, criterion-based, supervised rehabilitation program described in this case report showed a safe return to sport and a good long-term outcome.
Bizzini
Mario
M
Department of Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Schulthess Clinic, Lengghalde 2, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland. mario.bizzini@kws.ch
Gorelick
Mark
M
Drobny
Thomas
T
D000328:Adult; D006688:Hockey; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000601:surgery*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D013557:Switzerland; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries