Management of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear in a 5 Year-Old Boy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective case report was to describe clinical decision making during the examination and treatment of a 5-year-old boy with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.

KEY POINTS: A paucity of research exists for the management of ACL tears in children. A combination of manual therapy interventions initially, followed by a unique and comprehensive therapeutic exercise program, was implemented during the course of a 3-month treatment period. Improvements in range of motion, quadriceps strength, single-leg stance time, and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were noted. At discharge, the patient safely returned to unrestricted home and school activities.

CONCLUSION

This case demonstrates successful management of a child after an ACL injury.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians are encouraged to implement sound clinical reasoning in the absence of well-established evidence when treating similar patients in their clinical practice.