Educate the patient on post-treatment care and their personalized rehabilitation program. KELI Therapeutics has developed a RECARTA Treatment-related Rehabilitation Manual to guide this process

Focus on achieving pain-free, full passive knee extension with limited weight bearing. The goal is to become independent of ambulation devices and knee braces

Goals:

• Protect healing tissue and manage pain and swelling

• Restore pain-free knee flexion to 90° by 4 weeks, and achieve full range of motion by 8–12 weeks

• Achieve full, pain-free knee extension by 4 weeks and progress to full, active range of motion by 8–12 weeks

• Establish active quadriceps engagement and build muscle tone

• Progress to full weight-bearing and remove knee brace by 8–12 weeks

• Achieve proficiency in home exercises and begin pain-free cycling and gym exercises by 7–12 weeks

0-3 MONTHS

Patients should start returning to recreational activities, with exercises to rebuild muscle strength and endurance. Provide guidance on appropriate activities

Goals:

• Normal gait pattern without pain, walking aids, or knee brace

• Ability to negotiate stairs and mild gradients

• A return to work depending on the demands of the job

• Proficiency in performing full weight-bearing activities

3-6 MONTHS

Gradually increase exercise difficulty as patients resume recreational activities and sports. Tailored recovery is based on graft maturation, mental readiness, and knee stability

Goals:

• Ability to tolerate walking distances of more than 5-10 km

• Ability to return to pre-operative low-impact recreational activities

• Ability to effectively negotiate uneven ground, including soft sand

6-9 MONTHS