Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Meniscus Repair Rehabilitation For the Collegiate Athlete

Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Meniscus Repair Rehabilitation

For the Collegiate Athlete

Gary Johnson SPT, ATC, LAT, CSCS

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Overview

Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction and meniscus repair are subjects that I have first hand experience with. I have had 6 knee surgeries involving ACL reconstruction, meniscus repair, meniscectomy, micro-fracturing as well as other ligament reconstruction. I have the scars to prove it.

Pictured above is my right knee, with scars from 2 ACL reconstructions, an MCL reconstruction, meniscus repair, and micro-fracture surgery.

Given my personal experience rehabilitating myself and others with these 2 common knee injuries as an athletic trainer and physical therapy student, I decided to focus my Capstone project on the anatomy & physiology, injury, healing and treatment of post-operative ACL reconstruction and meniscus repairs. I decided to present my Capstone to students and staff members in the sports medicine department of my alma mater North Carolina Central University (NCCU).  The NCCU  athletic training and exercise sports science majors, as well as certified athletic trainers, will find this information very relevant to the athletes they see daily in a college sports medicine environment.

Some information on ACL and Meniscus injuries^23,24:

• The ACL is the most commonly injured knee ligament with approximately 100,000 to 200,000 ruptures a year in the United States.
• The majority of ACL injuries are non-contact, especially in the female population, which
  has a higher predisposition to the injury.
• The NCAA injury surveillance system states that American football has the highest ACL injury rate among collegiate athletes (33%).

• The meniscus is the most commonly injured tissue in the knee, and accounts for approximately 750,000 surgeries a year in the United States.
• Meniscus injuries can either be acute-traumatic or chronic-degenerative.
• The C-shaped medial meniscus is less mobile and more susceptible to injury than the O-shaped lateral meniscus.

 

 

Products

I presented to a group of approximately 30 NCCU students, 5 members of the NCCU sports medicine faculty, and 5 staff members from the outpatient PT clinic I work at part-time.  My presentation focused on the anatomy and function of the ACL and menisci, how the tissues are injured, how they heal after surgical intervention, and a general rehabilitation time-line with goals, precautions and interventions. To view a more interactive version of my presentation with videos click here. (Note: if videos do not play on your computer, clink the link below each video in the slide notes to watch). Enjoy!!

I also wrote a paper for those that were interested in my Capstone topic, but could not attend my presentation, or feel a written document is more beneficial to their learning style.

Evaluation and Reflection

After my presentation I asked the participants in attendance to fill out a brief paper survey. The survey comments can be viewed here.

Overall, I am please with my Capstone project, I feel as though I presented relevant information to my audience. I felt proud that I was able to go back to my college alma mater and present to the current students and staff. It is something I hope I get to do again.

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank Elizabeth Jewell, who has helped me through every step of my clinical education and career, and who made it possible for me to present to NCCU faculty and students. I would also like to thank Nate Kauk, who has  helped me along the path to becoming a physical therapist, as early as the graduate admissions phase. A special thanks to Hannah Smith who I only met this past year, but agreed to assist me with this Capstone, and who has given me valuable professional advice as I approach becoming an entry level therapist. As my Capstone committee your feedback and guidance was invaluable. Thank you to Mike Gross for being an excellent Capstone advisor, your feedback made things a lot clearer and easier. Also, an additional thank you to Mike for the awesome advanced orthopedics class in which I gained a new level of understanding in knee anatomical function, which translated into great information for my Capstone.

References

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2. Krossgard MR, Dyhre-Poulsen P, Fischer-Ramussen T. Cruciate ligament Reflexes. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2002; 12: 177-182.
3. Chivers MD, Howitt SD. Anatomy and physical examination of knee menisci: a narrative review of orthopedic literature. JCCA. 2009; 53(4): 319-333.
4. Gross MT. Meniscal fibrocartilage: composition, structure, function, mechanical properties, and healing. [PowerPoint – Voice thread]. University of NC Chapel Hill DPT; 2014.
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