Rehabilitation and Return to Play of an Ice Hockey Athlete after Lateral Meniscus Repair: A Case Report

Abstract

This report presents the case of an ice hockey player diagnosed with a tear in the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus at 19 years of age. In addition, we suggest a rehabilitation exercise program that enabled an early return to play for an ice hockey athlete in a university sports league. The patient underwent arthroscopic meniscal repair and was discharged one day after surgery. A three-stage rehabilitation program was developed, as follows: Phase I, the protective phase (reduce inflammation symptoms and restore range of motion to enable weight-bearing); Phase II, the restorative phase (improve the strength of the quadriceps muscle and recover cardiovascular endurance); Phase III, the return to full functional activity (familiarize the patient with sport-specific skills and recover a symmetric functional level on both sides). After completing the 10-week rehabilitation program, the patient returned to play and took part in games 71 and 84 days after surgery. The patient had no meniscus reinjury in the 10 years after surgery while playing in university and professional ice hockey leagues. The functional performance-focused rehabilitation program presented in this case report resulted in an early return to sport and good long-term outcomes.