Lower extremity injuries are the most common injuries in basketball. They account for more than half of all the injuries in the game and are restricting the athletes in participating in sports activities for a long period of time. The anterior cruciate ligament is the main static stabilizer of the knee against anterior and rotational transitions, between femur and tibia. It prevents the knee from giving way during activities that involve a lot of cutting and pivoting movements and has a high incidence rate of injury, sports with contact, such as basketball, where an athlete puts excessive force on an extended and abducted leg.
The purpose of this thesis is to describe the mechanisms of an anterior cruciate ligament injury in basketball, the operating procedure with graft options, and to show the rehabilitation exercises and timeline from time of the injury, until the end of rehabilitation with enrolment in competitive sports. This thesis is based on research, other professional work done by domestic and foreign academics and on personal experience in dealing with anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation. The thesis is organized as follows. First, I describe the anatomy and structure of the knee joint. Second, I explain the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury. Third, I explain the risk factors and diagnostic procedures for identifying ruptured ligament.
A larger part of the thesis is focused on describing different rehabilitation options and presenting the rehabilitation process after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, which is divided into five rehabilitation stages. Early and aggressive rehabilitation is of key importance for successful completion of the process and essential for the athlete to be able to resume with previous activity level.
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