Rehabilitation after a Complete Avulsion of the Proximal Rectus Femoris Muscle: Considerations from a Case Report
Autor(en): | Baumgart, Christian Grim, Casper Heiss, Rafael Ehrenstein, Philipp Freiwald, Juergen Hoppe, Matthias Wilhelm |
Stichwörter: | electromyography; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Sciences & Ecology; INDIVIDUALS; INJURIES; INTERLIMB ASYMMETRY; isokinetic; muscle injury; OSTEOARTHRITIS; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; quadriceps; rehabilitation; REPAIR; STRENGTH; surgery; tendon rupture | Erscheinungsdatum: | 2021 | Herausgeber: | MDPI | Enthalten in: | INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH | Band: | 18 | Ausgabe: | 16 | Zusammenfassung: | Background: A complete avulsion of the proximal rectus femoris muscle is a rare but severity injury. There is a lack of substantial information for its operative treatment and rehabilitation; in particular there is a lack of biomechanical data to evaluate long-term outcomes. Case presentation: The case report presents the injury mechanism and surgical treatment of a complete avulsion of the proximal rectus femoris muscle in a 41-year-old recreational endurance athlete. Moreover, within a one-year follow-up period, different biomechanical tests were performed to get more functional insights into changes in neuromuscular control, structural muscle characteristics, and endurance performance. Within the first month post-surgery, an almost total neuromuscular inhibition of the rectus femoris muscle was present. A stepwise reduction in inter-limb compensations was observable (e.g., in crank torque during cycling) during the rehabilitation. Muscular intra-limb compensations were shown at six months post-surgery and even one year after surgery, which were also represented in the long-term adaption of the muscle characteristics and leg volumes. A changed motor control strategy was shown by asymmetric muscle activation patterns during ergometer cycling, while the power output was almost symmetric. During rehabilitation, there might be a benefit to normalizing neuromuscular muscle activation in ergometer cycling using higher loads. Conclusions: While the endurance performance recovered after six months, asymmetries in neuromuscular control and structural muscle characteristics indicate the long-term presence of inter- and intra-limb compensation strategies. |
DOI: | 10.3390/ijerph18168727 |
Show full item record