Ambulatory Care of Medial Collateral Ligament Tears

In brief: Immobilization after surgery for medial collateral ligament tears often results in muscle atrophy. In this study of controlled mobilization after surgery, 41 of 45 patients returned to active sports participation in an average of 44 days. Lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament that demonstrated a positive Lachman test did not respond to this form of therapy, but injuries exhibiting mild to moderate anteromedial laxity responded well to the mobilization technique. This ambulatory treatment has proved to be a more efficient course of therapy for these athletes than immobilization.