Quad / Patellar Tendon Repair — Patella / Quad Tendon Repair

Massachusetts General Hospital · MGH Sports Medicine

Weight-Bearing

WBAT with hinged knee brace locked in extension Phase I; FWB with brace locked in extension

Key Restrictions

Hinged brace locked in extension at all times (ambulating, sleeping, standing) Phase I; no active knee extension Phase I; no passive flexion >60 deg Phase I — do not push motion; no flexion >90 deg Phase II; no active knee extension until wk 6; flexion limit progression: 60 deg (wk 0-2), 90 deg (wk 2-6); tissue quality and repair strength affect progression — check with surgeon

Timeline & Phases

5 phases: Phase I (0-14 days, brace locked extension, WBAT, PROM ≤60 deg, heel slides, quad sets, glute sets), Phase II (2-6 wks, progress flexion to 90 deg, AAROM, stationary bike wk 4, begin active extension wk 6), Phase III (6-10 wks, full ROM goal, progressive strengthening), Phase IV (10-16 wks, advanced strengthening, jogging if criteria met), Phase V (16+ wks, return to sport)

Notes

Criterion-based; covers both patellar AND quad tendon repair in same protocol; brace locked extension at all times Phase I is the critical restriction; no active extension Phase I; flexion progression explicit: ≤60 (Phase I) → ≤90 (Phase II) → full (Phase III); heel props and prone hangs for extension from day 1. [Archived copy — original Massachusetts General Hospital URL retired in the Mass General Brigham site migration; Wayback snapshot 2026-07-30.]

Surgeon / Author

MGH Sports Medicine