Return to sport rates after ACL reconstruction
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is often performed in athletes with ACL ruptures. These injuries pose significant recovery challenges and have multiple consequences on athletes’ lives.
Given the important differences between elite and amateur athletes and a series of new studies on the former, this review was performed in order to determine return to sport (RTS) rates as well as how long it took, graft rupture rates and performance measures.
The return to sport (RTS) rate of athletes included in this review was 83%. Time to RTS averaged between 6 to 13 months. Notably, the majority of studies showed no significant performance deficits when compared to uninjured athletes. The authors also found that previous level of skill and the athlete’s relevance to the team were positively associated with RTS.
This review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and included 24 studies involving 1272 elite athletes of different sports. Risk of bias was done by independent assessors.
The RTS rate found was higher than that of non-elite athletes. This was attributed to higher fitness levels, access to high-quality care and financial incentives. Average RTS time was 12 months. Authors were to conclude whether athletes of different sports take longer than others to do so.
Graft rupture rates were consistent with previous reviews but this value may be underestimated due to data collection issues. Athletic performance outcomes post-RTS were conflicting; however, most studies using control subjects did not show significant differences.
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> From: Lai et al., Br J Sports Med 52 (2018-02-07 08:50:41) 128-138 (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to The Author(s). Click here for the online summary.
