Rehabilitation of Unhappy Triad Injury (ACL, MCL, Medial Meniscus): A Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15653276Keywords:
Unhappy triad, ACL injury, MCL injury, medial meniscus tear, knee rehabilitationAbstract
The “unhappy triad,” involving concurrent injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and medial meniscus, represents a challenging orthopedic condition often resulting from high-impact trauma. This case study documents the rehabilitation of a 31-year-old restaurant manager presenting with significant pain and restricted knee range of motion following an unhappy triad injury. Over six sessions, a tailored rehabilitation plan was implemented, incorporating ultrasound, low-level laser therapy (LLLT), Mulligan mobilization with movement, functional squatting techniques, massage therapy, and targeted muscle strengthening. By the end of the program, the patient achieved full knee flexion, reduced pain, and partial return to daily activity. This study highlights the effectiveness of a comprehensive, individualized rehabilitation approach in restoring knee function in complex ligamentous injuries.
Downloads
References
• Adams, D., Logerstedt, D. S., Hunter-Giordano, A., Axe, M. J., & Snyder-Mackler, L. (2012). Current concepts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a criterion-based rehabilitation progression. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 42(7), 601-614.
• Chen, C. et al. (2025). Advances in ACL Rehabilitation: Functional Outcomes and Return to Sport. International Journal of Sports Therapy, 14(2), 101-109.
• Draper, D. O., Knight, K. L., Fujiwara, T., & Castel, J. C. (1995). Temperature changes in deep muscles of humans during therapeutic ultrasound. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 76(5), 406-410.
• Feller, J. A., Webster, K. E., & Taylor, N. F. (2001). Return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 11(1), 8-14.
• Ivancevic, V. G. (2008). Human athletic performance: An integrated kinetic and kinematic model. European Journal of Sports Science, 8(1), 1-11.
• Khan, K. M., Cook, J. L., Bonar, F., Harcourt, P., & Astrom, M. (2003). Histopathology of common overuse tendon conditions: update and implications for clinical management. Sports Medicine, 27(6), 393-408.
• Nyland, J., et al. (2010). ACL injury mechanisms and risk reduction strategies: a review. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, 3(3), 100-106.
• Paterno, M. V., Rauh, M. J., Schmitt, L. C., Ford, K. R., & Hewett, T. E. (2010). Incidence of contralateral and ipsilateral ACL injury after primary ACL reconstruction and return to sport. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 38(7), 1406-1413.
• Sheenam, S., et al. (2025). The biomechanics of ACL injuries and implications for rehabilitation. Journal of Orthopedic Biomechanics and Therapy, 9(1), 22-30.
• Shelbourne, K. D., & Nitz, P. (1990). Accelerated rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 18(3), 292-299.
• Vicenzino, B., Paungmali, A., Teys, P., & Mulligan, B. R. (2000). Mulligan mobilization with movement: its application in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Manual Therapy Journal, 5(4), 204-210.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. Additional data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright Statement: Authors retain copyright of their articles. All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © The Author(s) [Year]. Published by the International Journal of Case Reports in Physiotherapy (IJCRP).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the International Journal of Case Reports in Physiotherapy (IJCRP) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This license allows anyone to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated.
Authors retain copyright of their work. The journal only requires the right to publish the article and be identified as the original publisher.