Clinical Result in Conservative Treatment of Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury / 대한정형외과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We evaluate the clinical results of conservative treatment in patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2010 to May 2013, 49 patients with acute ACL injury who received conservative treatment were selected as subjects. All ruptures were diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Sixteen patients had partial ruptures and 33 patients had complete ruptures. The average age was 37.6 years; males were 39, and females were 10. Conservative treatment included a long leg cast for 6 weeks and isotonic exercise for quadriceps and hamstring. Knee joint instability was evaluated with the side-to-side difference using the Telos device. Tegner activity score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score, and range of motion in the joint were assessed in all patients. RESULTS: In the final follow-up, the mean value of the Tegner activity score was 6.30 points (3-8 points), and the mean value of the IKDC score was 84.7 points (51.7-97.7 points). The mean value of side-to-side difference using the Telos device was 2.74 points (0.51-7.46 points). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that acute ACL injury diagnosed by MRI can be treated conservatively in appropriate patients, with favorable results.