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Role of the Team Physician, Orthopedic Surgeon, and Rehabilitation Specialists

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Return to Sport after ACL Reconstruction and Other Knee Operations

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Abstract

For athletes who desire a return to sport following ACL injury, there are numerous opportunities for the treating medical professionals to intervene and improve the likelihood of achieving this goal. The expertise needed to facilitate this goal is varied and best achieved with a concerted effort from a knowledgeable sports medicine team consisting of the orthopedic surgeon, team physician, physical therapists, and athletic trainers. Throughout the course of rehabilitation, the key themes are (1) effective communication between the athlete and the entire sports medicine team, (2) preparation of the athlete for the demands and potential disappointments of ACL rehabilitation, (3) ongoing adjustments to the rehabilitation plan based on the variability of progression among individual athletes, and (4) attention to the athlete’s mental state in addition to physical state. The purpose of this chapter is to identify the opportunities and explain the need for intervention on the part of the sports medicine team, with focus on the preoperative, early postoperative, late postoperative, and return to sport phases of rehabilitation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Eileen A. Crawford & Edward M. Wojtys

  2. Medsport, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Eileen A. Crawford & Edward M. Wojtys

Authors
  1. Eileen A. Crawford
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  2. Edward M. Wojtys
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Correspondence to Eileen A. Crawford .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Emeritus, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Noyes Knee Institute, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Frank R. Noyes

  2. Noyes Knee Institute, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Sue Barber-Westin

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Crawford, E.A., Wojtys, E.M. (2019). Role of the Team Physician, Orthopedic Surgeon, and Rehabilitation Specialists. In: Noyes, F., Barber-Westin, S. (eds) Return to Sport after ACL Reconstruction and Other Knee Operations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22361-8_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22361-8_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-22360-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-22361-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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