title: Current concepts for rehabilitation and return to sport after knee articular cartilage repair in the athlete.
abstract: Articular cartilage injury is observed with increasing frequency in both elite and amateur athletes and results from the significant acute and chronic joint stress associated with impact sports. Left untreated, articular cartilage defects can lead to chronic joint degeneration and athletic and functional disability. Treatment of articular cartilage defects in the athletic population presents a therapeutic challenge due to the high mechanical demands of athletic activity. Several articular cartilage repair techniques have been shown to successfully restore articular cartilage surfaces and allow athletes to return to high-impact sports. Postoperative rehabilitation is a critical component of the treatment process for athletic articular cartilage injury and should take into consideration the biology of the cartilage repair technique, cartilage defect characteristics, and each athlete's sport-specific demands to optimize functional outcome. Systematic, stepwise rehabilitation with criteria-based progression is recommended for an individualized rehabilitation of each athlete not only to achieve initial return to sport at the preinjury level but also to continue sports participation and reduce risk for reinjury or joint degeneration under the high mechanical demands of athletic activity.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biologic Joint Restoration, Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mithoefer
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hambly
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Logerstedt
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Silvers
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Villa
mesh_terms: D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D019902:Chondrocytes; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016474:Weight-Bearing