Physical therapy in the conservative treatment for anterior cruciate ligament rupture followed by contralateral rupture: case report

Although the surgical reconstruction be the obvious indication for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) lesion, there is no consensus on whether the results of surgery are superior to those obtained with nonsurgical management. The objective of this report was to describe a case of nonsurgical treatment for ACL rupture followed by a contralateral rupture. A 28-year-old female practitioner of muay-thai and handball suffered a non-contact ACL rupture in the left knee, and three months after the end of rehabilitation, the patient suffered a second non-contact ACL rupture in the contralateral knee and also received nonsurgical treatment. After both ruptures the patient received a treatment program focused on the strengthening of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles, trunk stabilization, plyometrics exercises, perturbation training, and return-to-sport training. After the treatments the patient exhibited absence of pain; normal muscular function and knee extension and flexion strength; normal range of motion; normal hop tests (