OUR PHILOSOPHY

A proper rehabilitation is a fundamental part of the recovery after surgery. Recent advances in rehabilitation suggest that protocols must be progressive and goal-oriented; the program must be individualized and the progression based on functional-clinical criteria and specific objective is the key of success. It is quite clear that the athlete’s recovery can be considered fully completed only when all necessary characteristics have been regained. Therefore, in our opinion, the rehabilitation program must lead to a recovery of athletic conditions (both general and specific), specific neuromotor skills, and psychological confidence in the execution of sport movements.

A standardized postoperative rehabilitation protocol should be adopted, based on functional criteria and goal progression and the current knowledge of the biology of graft healing in case cellular therapies are involved.

We developed our rehabilitation protocols based on the current literature and we further developed specific protocols after ACL primary repair or cartilage repair with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and second-generation autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). Patient’s program is ideally designed to take into account different factors such as site and type of lesion, surgical technique, associated pathologies or surgeries, patient’s age and body mass index (BMI), characteristics and expectations, psychological factors, social support and team work. Therefore our rehabilitation approach is individualized respecting joint reactions and specific criteria of progression between rehabilitative phases.

The rehabilitation program is divided in 4 functional phases characterized by specific objectives and criteria of progression, in the cases of patients that have undergone cellular treatments:

1.PROTECTION OF THE IMPLANT

2.TRANSITION AND RECOVERY OF GAIT/ADL

3.STRENGTH AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE TRAINING

4.SPORTS SPECIFIC TRAINING & RETURN TO SPORTS

Based on the current literature and our collaboration with the internationally esteemed Isokinetic Centers we suggest an intensive rehabilitation protocol following cellular surgical approaches to cartilage and ligaments, which included isokinetic and on-field activities, positively affected graft maturation and shortened return to play time in professional athletes.

The rehabilitation protocol represents an essential component of the treatment and is designed to facilitate the newly-formed tissue incorporation and to influence the successful outcome of the procedure and return to the previous level of activities.

OUR SPECIFIC POST OPERATIVE PROTOCOLS

1.Rehabilitation protocol after partial Meniscectomy

2.Rehabilitation protocol after ACL reconstruction

3.Rehabilitation protocol after open autologous chondrocyte implantation

4.Rehabilitation protocol after Mesenchymal stem cells implantation

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6-CdIuu01s&feature=youtu.be