Rehabilitation following knee dislocation with lateral side injury: implementation of the knee symmetry model.

Rehabilitation following lateral side knee ligament repair or reconstruction has traditionally utilized a conservative approach. An article outlining a new concept in rehabilitation following ACL reconstruction called the Knee Symmetry Model was recently published(13). The Knee Symmetry Model can also be applied to rehabilitation of other knee pathologies including a knee dislocation with a lateral side injury.This Clinical Commentary describes the rehabilitation procedures used with patients who underwent surgery to repair lateral side ligaments, based upon the Knee Symmetry Model. These procedures were used previously to rehabilitate a group of patients with lateral side ligament repair as reported by Shelbourne et al(10). Outcome data and subjective knee scores for these patients were recorded via the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) guidelines and modified Noyes survey scores and are summarized in this paper, as previously published. Rehabilitation following lateral side knee ligament repair using guidelines based upon the Knee Symmetry Model appears to provide patients with excellent long-term stability, normal ROM and strength, and a high level of function.