Quad / Patellar Tendon Repair — Patellar / Quad Tendon Repair

Ortho Utah · Ortho Utah Sports Medicine

Weight-Bearing

WBAT with crutches and brace locked in extension 0-6 wks; brace opened to 30-40 deg without crutches 6-12 wks; normal gait without brace from 12 wks

Key Restrictions

Brace locked extension at all times except exercises x 6 wks; 0-90 deg knee motion wks 3-6 with no active knee extension; no weight-bearing knee flexion past 70 deg for 12 wks; ROM limits may be altered by surgeon; quad tendon rupture: usually age >40 (88%); patellar tendon rupture: usually age <40 (avg 28); graft tissue may be added for desired length; in rare cases end-to-end repair performed

Timeline & Phases

5 phases: Phase I (0-2 wks, brace locked, crutches, quad/hamstring/glute sets, patellar mobs), Phase II (2-6 wks, WBAT in locked brace, 0-90 deg, no active extension), Phase III (6-12 wks, brace open 30-40 deg, active quad in weight bearing, AROM >=0-110 to progress), Phase IV (12 wks+, no brace, squat to 70 deg, single-leg stand 10 sec, avoid impact), Phase V (about 4 months, impact control and sport/work-specific movement)

Notes

Covers both quad and patellar tendon repair + partial tears; age demographics noted (quad >40, patellar <40); conservative management for small partial tears; graft augmentation and end-to-end variants noted

Surgeon / Author

Ortho Utah Sports Medicine