Muscular reinforcement of the quadriceps after tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament.
Tearing of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is a common accident in sports traumatology. Surgical repair (ligamentoplasty) consists of replacing the torn ligament with a graft taken from a neighboring tendon. Despite incredible progress in surgery in the past years, particularly through arthroscopy, this surgical procedure causes major disuse atrophy of the quadriceps.
One of the major objectives of rehabilitation is to find perfect stability of the knee again which alone is capable of allowing the resumption of sports.
To get there, restoring the muscular qualities is essential, but also the solidity of the tendinous graft only becomes satisfactory after a period of about 4 months.
During this time, any exercise of the quadriceps must be carried out under the supervision of a rehabilitation therapist who is aware of the precautions to be put in place to avoid a tear of the graft. Hence, in particular, electrostimulation of the quadriceps done traditionally must not be allowed.
However, your physical therapist may use the ACL program of his or her professional Compex early on and without any danger. This means early stimulation on the hamstrings and quadriceps which authorizes significant work of the quadriceps while protecting the tendinous graft.
