During last years the arthroscopic knee surgery is considered a gold standard in cases with Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear and the early rehabilitation is an obligatory part of the protocol. GOAL. To evaluate the efficiency of the applied complex rehabilitation in patients with ACL tear after arthroscopic alloplastic surgery with estimation of the impact of elements of the protocol: cryotherapy and active kinesitherapy and different pre-formed modalities.

The current controlled prospective randomized investigation was carried out during the period 2010–2017 on a total of 96 patients, divided into 4 groups. The investigation was conducted with consideration for the protection of the patients, as outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. The evaluation protocol consists of history of the condition, clinical patterns, and functional assessment, including: goniometry of the knee joint, centimetry, manual muscle test, visual analogue scale of pain (0–20), gait test (tests of 5 & 10m, 2min’ Walk Test). All patients received cryotherapy and a detailed physiotherapeutic program, including active exercises oriented in training the muscles that allow the function of the knee, working hip stabilizers and increasing muscle endurance. All patients received detailed instructions for rest and rehabilitation. Group 1 received only cryotherapy and kinesiotherapy, twice a day. In groups 2–4 we added a preformed physical modality: low frequency low intensity magnetic field (group 2), interferential currents (group 3) and deep oscillation (group 4). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS electronic package, version 17.

The comparative analysis of the results demonstrates the effectiveness of the complex rehabilitation program on a lot of clinical and functional patterns. Here we present results of: pain relief (Visual analogue scale), range of motion of the knee joint (goniometry), knee oedema (centimetry), gait stability (test of 5 and 10m; 2min’ walk test).

The post-op rehabilitation protocol in ACL patients ameliorates quality of life. The inclusion of pre-formed modalities reduces pain and oedema, improves range of motion and stimulates gait recovery. The on-time rehabilitation prevents complications: deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, altered knee, myo-hypotrophy, muscle weakness and pathological proprioceptive afferentation.