Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are involved in sports that include frequent jumping, landing, and changes in velocity – sports such as basketball, soccer, and football. To surgically reconstruct an ACL tear, there are different types of tissues that can be used as a graft, and the ideal graft remains controversial. Use of the quadriceps tendon (QT) as an ACL graft is a newer approach to an ACL reconstruction. Though it offers a strong and predicable graft1, its long-term impact on the athlete’s recovery is sparsely sited in literature. Purpose: Thus, the purpose of this case report is to explore the efficacy of utilizing a quadriceps tendon graft in young athletes in order to achieve a rapid return to sport time following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Case description: The patient was a 22-year-old basketball player at a D1 university who sustained a right ACL tear with subsequent arthroscopic reconstruction using his right QT as a graft in 2017 at age 19. The patient presented to the clinic in June of 2020 with right anterior knee pain and a right hamstring strain. Treatment strategies and interventions included globally strengthening right lower extremity musculature via a sports-centered approach and improving bilateral lower extremity mobility. Outcome Measures: The patient initially presented to the clinic and was unable to perform a squat without increases in right anterior knee pain and increases in right hamstring soreness. The Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) was used to measure lower extremity functional progression. Discussion: This case report outlines a high level athlete who received an ACL reconstruction via QT graft and how this graft and his initial physical therapy interventions influenced his recovery, with recovery being defined as restoration of quadriceps strength, restoration of normal knee ranges of motion, return to sport times, and occurrences of subsequent injuries.
Dissertation
Returning to High-Level Athletics Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using a Quadriceps Tendon Graft: A Case Report
University of Iowa
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) , University of Iowa
Summer 2020
Free to read and download, Open Access
Abstract
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Returning to High-Level Athletics Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using a Quadriceps Tendon Graft: A Case Report
- Creators
- Melanie Hamilt - University of Iowa
- Contributors
- Laura Frey Law (Advisor)Michael Petrie (Advisor)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Project Type
- Case Report
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) , University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science
- Date degree season
- Summer 2020
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- 10 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2020 Melanie Hamilt
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Doctor of Physical Therapy Case Reports
- Record Identifier
- 9984201517002771
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