Rehabilitation of an isolated Deltoid Ligament surgical reconstruction- A case report

Abstract

ObjectivesIsolated deltoid ligament injuries are an uncommon injury within football with a lack of literature surrounding the rehabilitation processes for this injury. This case report looks to document the processes and considerations required for a successful rehabilitation of this specific injury to promote discussion surrounding optimal rehabilitation programming and subsequently better inform clinicians about best practice. MethodsA twenty-year-old professional footballer sustained an isolated Deltoid ligament injury to their right ankle following an eversion mechanism of injury when landing after performing a heading action. Eleven days post injury the player underwent reconstruction of the Deltoid ligament before then undergoing a sixteen-week rehabilitation program up to the point of return to training. ResultsThis complete deltoid ligament rupture was managed surgically with a reconstruction. Following sixteen weeks of rehabilitation the player was cleared for a return to training and has now been in full training and match play involvement for nine months without any reaction or reinjury. ConclusionThis case report summarises the injury management, rehabilitation and objective markers used in order to provide some early understanding of management strategies for this uncommon injury diagnosis.