Sport participation after injury of anterior cruciate ligament

Abstract

One of the most common problems involving the knee joint is an anterior cruciate ligament injury or ACL tear. Of the four major knee ligaments of the knee, an ACL injury or rupture is the most debilitating knee ligament injury. Ligament injuries in the knee joint often lead to premature end of sport career in athletes. Treatment following ACL rupture can be operative or conservative. In both cases, main goal of patient is to reach the best functional level, without risk of re-injury or degenerative changes in knee joint. Return to high level of sport performance is the indicator of successfull treatment. Rehabilitation represents crucial part of threatment. Knowledge on healing processes and knee biomechanics after injury and recostruction, along with physiologial aspects of training processess, is very importmant for the construction of training programs. Current rehabilitation programs use immediate trainings, i.e. exercises for the increasement of range of motion. In most cases, rehabilitation programs are being created relative to time which is needed for the returnment to certain sport activities. In this article, we would like to provide an overview of the current strategies for sport participation and rehabilitation after ACL injury. Operation, along with completed rehabilitation program, which is sport-specific, should lead to functional stability of knee joint. Furthermore, adequate muscle strength and performance can be presented as main criterias for the returning to sport activities. Another factors, such as additional injuries, sociological and psychological barieres, can also influence the returnement to sport activities. Therefore, they should be considered durring rehabilitation process and evaluation of the treatment.

Keywords

• physiotherapy
• recovery
• injuries
• sport medicine
• rehabilitation