What can a complex knee injury teach us about rehabilitation?
Patient research summary · Single case report
A plain-language summary of a 2025 case report co-authored by Dr. Austin Rees. This is one athlete’s experience, not a standard rehabilitation protocol or evidence of a typical outcome.
What happened in the report?
A 17-year-old football player sustained a knee dislocation and multiple injuries, including damage affecting blood supply. Emergency surgery and later reconstructive surgery were required. Rehabilitation involved several professionals and was adapted to the surgical precautions.
What did rehabilitation focus on?
The report describes a staged approach to movement, strength and later athletic tasks. Exercises were chosen in the context of a complex injury rather than by applying a generic knee program. Communication with the surgical team was important.
What was observed?
The authors described progress through eight months after surgery. The athlete then moved to another training environment, limiting consistent long-term follow-up. The paper does not establish a final return to competition or a long-term outcome.
What does this mean for a patient?
Useful questions include: Which tissues are involved? What precautions apply? What are the goals of the current phase? How will the next stage be assessed? Those questions can help you understand your own rehabilitation, but this athlete’s timeline should not set yours.
What are the limits?
This is a single case with multiple treatments and incomplete later follow-up. It cannot establish the effectiveness of any one intervention. Results may not be typical and cannot predict another patient’s recovery. The case was not an isolated ACL reconstruction.
Original publication
Lane N, Rees GA, D’Angelo K. Multiligament knee injury and dislocation in a 17-year old football player: clinical focus on rehabilitation exercise and return to sport. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2025;69(4):396–413.
Read the original publication.
Explore related care and education
General education only; this does not diagnose an injury or replace an individual assessment. Care and outcomes vary.
