RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Less than 50% of those sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury return to their preinjury level of sports participation or participate in competitive sport at two to seven years post ACL reconstruction (ACLR). After ACLR, it has been reported that frequency of subsequent ACL tears has reached as high as 31%. PURPOSE: The purpose of this case series was to evaluate return to sport and reinjury rates following the use of a criterion-based rehabilitation protocol with a final return to sport test that utilizes minimal equipment following ACL reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. METHODS: Following ACL reconstruction, participants were included if they had a goal of returning to their pre-injury sport or level of activity, were between 16 and 50 years of age at the time of evaluation, had at least 25 physical therapy visits covered by insurance, and planned to complete physical therapy until clearance for return to sport. RESULTS: Forty-three participants met the inclusion criteria and enrolled in the study. Twenty-one participants completed the full course of rehabilitation including passing their return to sport test and nineteen participants completed the two-year follow-up. Data obtained at two years indicated that 84% were able to return to their preinjury level of sports competition. A smaller percentage (16%) were able to return to a reduced level of sport and only one participant reported a second ACL injury. CONCLUSION: Participants that completed the full course of rehabilitation and passed return to sport testing had a larger percentage that were able to return to preinjury participation levels than currently reported in the literature. This case series did not exclude participants based on graft type, single vs double bundle procedure, ACL revision surgeries, nor concomitant procedures or injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.
RESUMO
CONTEXT: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is frequently performed to allow individuals to return to their pre-injury levels of sports participation, however, return to pre-injury level of sport is poor and re-injury rates are unacceptably high. Re-injury is likely associated with the timeframe and guidelines for return to sport (RTS). It is imperative for clinicians to recognize risk factors for re-injury and to ensure that modifiable risk factors are addressed prior to RTS. The purpose of this commentary is to summarize the current literature on the outcomes following return to sport after ACL reconstruction and to outline the biologic and patient-specific factors that should be considered when counseling an athlete on their progression through rehabilitation. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A comprehensive literature search was performed to identify RTS criteria and RTS rates after ACL reconstruction with consideration paid to graft healing, anatomic reconstruction, and risk factors for re-injury and revision. Results were screened for relevant original research articles and review articles, from which results were summarized. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical Review of the Literature. RESULTS: Variable RTS rates are presented in the literature due to variable definitions of RTS ranging from a high threshold (return to competition) to low threshold (physician clearance for return to play). Re-injury and contralateral injury rates are greater than the risk for primary ACL injury, which may be related to insufficient RTS guidelines based on time from surgery, which do not allow for proper healing or resolution of post-operative impairments and elimination of risk factors associated with both primary and secondary ACL injuries. CONCLUSIONS: RTS rates to pre-injury level of activity after ACLR are poor and the risk for graft injury or contralateral injury requiring an additional surgery is substantial. Resolving impairments while eliminating movement patterns associated with injury and allowing sufficient time for graft healing likely gives the athlete the best chance to RTS without further injury. Additional research is needed to identify objective imaging and functional testing criteria to improve clinical decision making for RTS after ACLR. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5.
