Patient and Parent Perceptions of Rehabilitation Factors That Influence Outcomes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Clearance to Return to Sport in Adolescents and Young Adults.

BACKGROUND: Wide variation in outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) exists among adolescents and young adults. However, little evidence is available regarding key rehabilitation factors that may be driving these differences. OBJECTIVE: To explore patient and parent perceptions of key rehabilitation drivers related to outcomes after ACLR. METHODS: In this qualitative study, which used an interpretive phenomenological methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients who had returned to sport after ACLR and with their parents. The interviews asked about respondents' experience with physical therapy and how it related to their outcomes after ACLR. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. Themes were then identified using open and axial coding processes. RESULTS: There were 3 primary themes that patients and parents perceived as key factors influencing their rehabilitation outcomes after ACLR: (1) patient attributes (ie, motivation, confidence, accountability, access to resources, and social support), (2) physical therapist-patient relationship qualities (physical therapist as guide, motivator, booster of confidence, fosterer of perseverance, and coordinator of care), and (3) elements of the system (ie, availability and utilization of therapy visits, clinic environment, and coordination among care providers). CONCLUSION: Patient and parent perspectives of key drivers that influence ACLR rehabilitation outcomes include patient, therapist, and system factors. Developing specific strategies to target these factors may enhance patient and parent perceptions of the experience. The awareness gained from these results provides a foundation for future studies examining how these factors affect outcomes and how to improve rehabilitation after ACLR. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapy, level 3. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(8):576-583. Epub 13 Feb 2019. doi:10.2519/jospt.2019.8608.

The Videoinsight® method: improving rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction--a preliminary study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this randomized double blind controlled study was to investigate if the vision of contemporary art video according to the Videoinsight(®) method could produce better short-term clinical and subjective outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. METHODS: One-hundred and six patients treated with single-bundle ACL reconstruction plus extra-articular tenodesis were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to Group A (53 patients) and Group B (53 patients). Group A received one art video that was established to produce positive and therapeutic "insight", while Group B received one art video with an "insight" unfavourable to the psychological recovery. All patients were instructed to watch the video 3 times a week for the first 2 months during the execution of the same rehabilitative protocol. Patients were evaluated pre-operatively and 3 months after surgery with Tegner, subjective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), physical and mental SF-36 scores and Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK). Time to crutches discharge was collected at final follow-up as well. RESULTS: Five patients were lost to follow-up and 101 patients (Group A: 51 patients; Group B: 50 patients) were available at mean 3.0 ± 0.2 months follow-up. Age at surgery was 33.0 ± 17.0 years. The two groups were homogeneous regarding pre-operative demographic data, meniscal lesions and clinical outcomes. Significant improvements were observed in Group A compared to Group B at final follow-up for subjective IKDC (82.0 ± 13.8 vs. 71.0 ± 19.7, p = 0.0470), TKS (28.1 ± 6.0 vs. 32.0 ± 5.8, p = 0.0141) and time to crutches discharge (20.9 ± 5.0 vs. 26.5 ± 8.2 days, p = 0.0012). A positive significant correlation between TSK and time to crutches discharge (r = 0.35, p = 0.0121) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The Videoinsight(®) method combined to adequate rehabilitation could be an effective tool in order to improve short-term clinical and functional outcomes in patients who underwent ACL reconstruction.