Conservative Rehabilitation of Partial Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear - A Case Report

Abstract

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most important ligaments in the knee joint (ACL). The ACL is necessary for appropriate knee joint mobility and mechanics. When the ACL is torn, patients may experience issues with their knee's function, as well as instability and the sensation of 'falling away' while walking. The anterior cruciate ligament acts as a main restraint on tibia-to-femur translation (anterior shear). Depending on the angle of knee flexion, this function is allocated to either anteromedial or posterolateral bundle. When the knee is fully extended, the posterolateral bundle is tense; however, when the knee flexes, the posterolateral bundle loosens and the anteromedial bundle tightens. We report the case of a 32-year-old man who twisted his leg while jogging, resulting in a partial thickness ACL rupture and mild joint effusion along the periarticular surface of the right knee, as revealed by radiological symptoms and MRI.Conservative rehabilitation in a patient aged 32 year shows good results and so the surgery was not performed. Initially 10 weeks protocol was managed in hospital under the guidance of a therapist including strengthening, stretching and conditioning of lower limb muscles, later on as pain reduced and patient achieved functional pain free range 12 week protocol was further set for home program.