Ja. Hardin et al., THE EFFECTS OF DECELERATED REHABILITATION FOLLOWING ANTERIOR CRUCIATELIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION ON A HYPERELASTIC FEMALE ADOLESCENT - A CASE-STUDY, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy, 26(1), 1997, pp. 29-34
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.