Course Lecture Pearls: Advanced Knee-Articular Cartilage-Rehab and Return to Sport Timelines Following Cartilage Surgery-Faculty Lecture

Rehab and Return to Sport Timelines Following Cartilage Surgery-Faculty Lecture_ Mary K. Mulcahey, MD

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Mary Mulcahy discusses rehabilitation and return-to-sport timelines following cartilage surgery. Rehab is individualized based on lesion location, size, patient factors, and surgery type. Cartilage maturation phases include proliferation (0-6 weeks), transition (4-12 weeks), remodeling (3-6 months), and maturation (4-18 months). Rehab protocols vary for procedures like debridement, microfracture, OATs, osteochondral allograft, and MACI. Return to sport rates vary by procedure: OATs allow quicker return (~5 months), osteochondral allografts show ~77% return at ~14 months, and MACI shows ~64.5%. Overall, return timelines depend on lesion characteristics, surgical techniques, patient factors, and sport-specific demands.

Keywords

cartilage surgery rehabilitation

return to sport timeline

cartilage maturation phases

surgical procedures for cartilage repair

patient-specific rehab protocols