CASE REPORT   

Medicina dello Sport 2024 March;77(1):153-61

DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.24.04415-6

Copyright © 2024 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Accelerated rehabilitation after an isolated deltoid ligament arthroscopic repair: a case report of a professional soccer player

Silvana GIANNINI ^{1, 2}, Fabrizio FORCONI ¹, Marco SCORCU ³, Elena MANNACIO ⁴, Arrigo GIOMBINI ⁴, Sebastiano VASTA ^{4, 5} ✉

¹ Villa Stuart Sport Clinic, FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, Rome, Italy; ² Center for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Foro Italico University, Rome, Italy; ³ Italian Sports Medicine Federation (FMSI), Rome, Italy; ⁴ Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Foro Italico University, Rome, Italy; ⁵ Research Unit of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy

Injury of the deltoid ligament is an infrequent injury, when it occurs isolate, without ankle fracture. This disorder is therefore difficult to diagnose especially when it is the result of multiple, repetitive mild energy trauma. The treatment has traditionally been surgical, with a direct repair through an open approach, followed by a 4 to 6-week non-weight bearing period. Arthroscopic repair allows for less invasive surgery and consequently less restrictive postoperative management. We present the case of a 33-year-old professional soccer player who underwent an arthroscopic repair of an isolated deltoid rupture and a successful comprehensive rehabilitation program that allowed him to return to play in fourteen weeks from surgery without any complication or reinjury.

KEY WORDS: Ankle; Joint instability; Deltoid muscle; Arthroscopy