THE EFFECTS OF DECELERATED REHABILITATION FOLLOWING ANTERIOR CRUCIATELIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION ON A HYPERELASTIC FEMALE ADOLESCENT - A CASE-STUDY

Current concepts in postoperative anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rec onstruction management include participation in an ''accelerated'' reh abilitation program. There are no published reports examining the effe cts of accelerated or conservative rehabilitation on subjects with gen eralized ligamentous hyperelasticity. The purpose of this case study w as to examine the effects of a conservative or ''decelerated'' rehabil itation program on the functional outcome of a hyperelastic female ado lescent athlete following ACL reconstruction. The subject was a 15-yea r-old female basketball player who sustained a unilateral ACI tear and underwent subsequent ACI reconstruction using a patellar tendon autog raft. The subject immediately began participation in a ''decelerated'' rehabilitation program in which the intensity and rate of progression was decelerated, emphasizing a prolonged period of maximum graft prot ection. Progress was objectively quantified with a battery of diagnosi s-specific tests at scheduled intervals. Results at 52 weeks postopera tive revealed normal range of motion, proprioception, balance, knee st ability, quadriceps strength, hamstring strength, and subjective asses sment values, and only a 4.0% deficit in functional scores. Our result s suggest a ''decelerated'' rehabilitation program may be appropriate for the population with generalized ligamentous hyperelasticity by yie lding excellent functional results without compromising the integrity of the graft and, ultimately knee stability.