title: Rehabilitation Principles of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructed Knee: Twelve Steps for Successful Progression and Return to Play.
abstract: The rehabilitation process begins immediately after injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The goal of preoperative rehabilitation is to prepare the patient for surgery. Current rehabilitation programs focus on strengthening exercises and proprioceptive and neuromuscular control drills to provide a neurologic stimulus. It is also important to address preexisting factors, especially for the female athlete, that may predispose to future injury, such as hip and hamstring weakness. Our goal in the rehabilitation program is to restore full, unrestricted function and to assist the patient to return to 100% of the preinjury level while achieving excellent long-term outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Champion Sports Medicine, 805 Saint Vincent's Drive, Suite G100, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA; American Sports Medicine Institute, Birmingham, AL, USA. Electronic address: kwilkpt@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Kevin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Wilk
authors.affiliation: Advanced Rehabilitation, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Arrigo
mesh_terms: D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D000068958:Return to Sport; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Functional rehabilitation; Neuromuscular training; Proprioception; Return to play