Rehabilitation Program for Both Knees When the Contralateral Autogenous Patellar Tendon Graft Is Used for Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Case Study

Study Design Case study of a basketball player who underwent an alternative surgical procedure for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and outline of the rehabilitation process designed for this procedure. Objectives To describe the surgical procedure, detail the rehabilitation program, and report on this patient's clinical outcome. Background Anterior cruciate ligament injury, its treatment and rehabilitation continue to be an area of interest to both clinicians and researchers. Surgical procedures have been refined and rehabilitation programs are constantly being evaluated and updated to allow the safest and most predictable return to activity. Currently, the autogenous bone-patellar tendon-bone graft is the graft of choice for ACL reconstruction. Typically the graft is taken from the ipsilateral knee. An alternative procedure is to take the graft from the contralateral, noninvolved knee, allowing 2 separate rehabilitation programs to take place. Methods and Measures The patient was followed...