Use Caution When Assessing Preoperative Leg-Length Discrepancy in Pediatric Patients With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Background: Pre- and postoperative standing hip-to-ankle radiographs are critical for monitoring potential postoperative growth arrest and resultant deformities after pediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of apparent preoperative leg-length discrepancies (LLDs) that resolve at the first postoperative radiographic examination in patients undergoing ACL reconstruction in order to understand what proportion of the noted preoperative deformities may have been inaccurate. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A retrospective review of prospectively collected preoperative and first postoperative full-length hip-to-ankle radiographs was performed in a cohort of skeletally immature patients who had an acute ACL injury and underwent subsequent surgical reconstruction. Leg length measurements for both the injured and the uninjured legs were obtained for comparison. Results: A total of 112 patients (mean age, 12.7 ± 1.7 years) were included (79 boys and 33 girls). Leg-length measurement interrater reliability among 3 raters for 25 randomly chosen images was nearly perfect (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.996; 95% CI, 0.994-0.998). At baseline, there was no apparent preoperative LLD (<5 mm) in 48% (n = 54) of participants, while 37% (n = 41) displayed a small apparent LLD (5 to <10 mm), 12% (n = 13) displayed a moderate apparent LLD (10 to <15 mm), and 4% (n = 4) displayed a large apparent LLD (≥15 mm). Of the patients with an apparent preoperative LLD, 66% (n = 38) of them tore their ACL on the leg measuring shorter. At first postoperative radiographs, 48% (n = 28) of patients with an apparent preoperative LLD showed resolution to no LLD: 46% (n = 19) of patients with a small apparent preoperative LLD, 54% (n = 7) of patients with a moderate apparent LLD, and 50% (n = 2) of patients with a large apparent LLD. Conclusion: A high percentage of patients (48%) with apparent preoperative LLDs showed resolution to no LLDs by their first postoperative imaging, indicating that preoperative hip-to-ankle radiographs display some false LLDs in patients with recent ACL tears who are unable to fully extend their injured leg and bear weight.

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Combined Intra- and Extra-Articular Technique in Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Joints ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1605590 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 05 (03) ◽

pp. 156-163 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jessica Zanovello ◽

Federica Rosso ◽

Alessandro Bistolfi ◽

Roberto Rossi ◽

Filippo Castoldi

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Case Series ◽

Return To Sport ◽

Surgical Removal ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Over The Top

Purpose The aim of the study was to evaluate the “over the top” (OTT) nonanatomical technique for revision of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods Twenty-four patients with a mean age of 31.9 ± 11.2 years underwent revision of ACL reconstruction using OTT technique. International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Lysholm score, Tegner score, Subjective Patient Outcome for Return to Sport (SPORTS) score, Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport After Injury (ACL-RSI) scale, and KT-1000 evaluation were recorded at a mean follow-up of 30.7 ± 18.9 months. Results Postoperatively, the IKDC objective total score significantly improved (p = 0.0046). The KOOS, Lysholm, and Tegner scores also improved, but the results were not statistically significant (62.4 vs. 72.6, 6.5 vs. 75.8, and 4.1 vs. 6.0, respectively). The subjective IKDC evaluation score improved from an average of 51.1 points to 63.7 points at the last follow-up (p = 0.0027). The RTP prevalence was 81.8%, with 44.4% of the patients returning to the same preinjury level. According to the SPORTS score, 16.6% of patients played sport without limitations in activity and performance. The average ACL-RSI score was 52.1 ± 27.0. No major complications were reported. A total of 21.5% of patients underwent surgical removal of staples. The failure prevalence was 14.3% and the cumulative survivorship, calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method, was equal to 70% at 60 months of follow-up. Conclusion The OTT technique in the revision ACL reconstruction provided improvement in objective and subjective scores, good RTP prevalence, and acceptable rate of complication and failure. One of the advantages was the possibility to avoid the femoral tunnel. Level of Evidence Level IV, therapeutic case series.

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Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with LARS Artificial Ligament—Clinical Results after a Long-Term Follow-Up

Joints ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1653950 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 06 (02) ◽

pp. 075-079 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Paolo Parchi ◽

Gianluca Ciapini ◽

Carlo Paglialunga ◽

Michele Giuntoli ◽

Carmine Picece ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Case Series ◽

Retrospective Case ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Purpose The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the subjective and functional outcome of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with the synthetic Ligament Advanced Reinforcement System (LARS) ligament. Methods Twenty-six patients were reviewed at an average follow-up of 11.6 years. Objective clinical evaluation was performed with stability tests. Patient-reported outcomes (Visual Analogue Scale, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, and Cincinnati Knee Rating Scale) were used to assess subjective and functional outcomes. Results Overall satisfactory results were obtained in 22 cases (84.6%). Four patients (15.4%) showed mechanical failure of the graft. No cases of synovitis or infection were reported. Conclusion LARS ligament can be considered a safe and suitable option for ACL reconstruction in carefully selected cases, especially elderly patients needing a rapid postoperative recovery. Level of Evidence Level IV, retrospective case series.

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Lateral location of the tibial tunnel increases lateral meniscal extrusion after anatomical single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Journal of ISAKOS Joint Disorders & Orthopaedic Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/jisakos-2019-000303 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 285-289

Author(s):

Takeshi Oshima ◽

Samuel Grasso ◽

Aaron Beach ◽

Brett Fritsch ◽

David A Parker

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Tibial Tunnel ◽

Case Series ◽

Single Bundle ◽

Characteristic Analysis ◽

Meniscal Extrusion ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Anterior Cruciate

IntroductionThe tibial footprint of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) overlaps with the anterior lateral meniscal root (ALMR), and there is a possibility that an anatomical tibial tunnel reaming might damage the attachment of ALMR. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tibial tunnel location and lateral meniscal extrusion (LME) after anatomical single-bundle ACL reconstruction.MethodsA prospectively collected database and associated intraoperative findings for 153 patients undergoing primary anatomical ACL reconstruction between October 2014 and July 2016 were investigated. Those cases with no meniscal injury seen at surgery and meeting the criteria (52/153) were included. Tibial plateau length (TPL), width (TPW), tibial tunnel location and LME were evaluated from postoperative high-resolution MRI. The location of the centre of the tibial tunnel was evaluated by the position relative to the medial tibial eminence with two measures, the medial–lateral distance (MLD) and anterior–posterior distance. These measures were expressed as a percentage of the TPW and TPL, respectively. The LME was also expressed as a percentage of TPW and correlated with tibial tunnel location.ResultsThere was a positive correlation between percentage of LME (%LME) and percentage of MLD (%MLD) (r=0.478; p<0.001). Applying receiver operating characteristic analysis, we determined that a cut-off value of 4 %MLD was significant. The mean percentage of LME was 1.20 for >4 %MLD, compared with 0.17 for ≤4 %MLD (p<0.001). No significant correlation was found between %LME and clinical outcomes at 1-year follow-up.ConclusionLateral location of the tibial tunnel increases the rate of LME after single-bundle ACL reconstruction.Level of evidenceLevel IV, Case series.

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Second Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Professional Sumo Wrestlers: A Case Series

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967120903698 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 232596712090369

Author(s):

Sadanori Shimizu ◽

Tsuyoshi Nagase ◽

Tomohiko Tateishi ◽

Teruhiko Nakagawa ◽

Masamitsu Tsuchiya

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Surgical Treatment ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Case Series ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Current Status ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most common traumatic injuries in professional sumo wrestlers. Further, ipsilateral reinjuries or contralateral ACL injuries after ACL reconstruction can occur in sumo wrestlers. The incidence of ipsilateral reinjury and contralateral ACL injury after ACL reconstruction ranges from 3% to 13% in a healthy athletic population. Purpose: To investigate the current status of second ACL injuries after ACL reconstruction in sumo wrestlers. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Between 1988 and 2015, a total of 139 primary ACL reconstructions were performed in professional sumo wrestlers at our hospital. After exclusion of cases of multiple ligament knee reconstruction and patients in whom the contralateral ACL had been injured previously, 110 cases were included in this study. We investigated the number of second injuries, time from primary reconstruction to second injury, treatment method, and change in official sumo ranking after second injuries. The chi-square test, Student t test, and Fisher exact text were used for statistical analysis. Results: Among 110 wrestlers who underwent ACL reconstruction, second injuries after primary ACL reconstruction occurred in 22 cases (20.0%). Among them, 14 cases (12.7%) entailed ipsilateral reinjury, 11 (10.0%) entailed contralateral injury, and 3 involved combined rerupture and contralateral injury. As for surgical treatment, 5 revision ACL reconstructions were performed for ipsilateral reinjury (35.7%), and 7 ACL reconstructions were performed for contralateral injury (63.6%). Surgical treatment was not performed for the remaining cases. Wrestlers who were treated by revision or contralateral ACL reconstruction after the second injury were demoted in rank for 3 to 4 tournaments but overtook the nonoperative treatment group in ranking by 2 years postoperatively; all athletes initially were demoted in rank after the second injury. Conclusion: This study is the first to investigate instances of ipsilateral reinjuries and contralateral ACL injuries after ACL reconstruction in professional athletes in heavyweight combat sports. The incidences of ipsilateral reinjury and contralateral ACL injury after ACL reconstruction in professional sumo wrestlers were relatively higher than those reported in previous studies.

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Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in National Basketball Association Players

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967120981649 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 232596712098164

Author(s):

Steven F. DeFroda ◽

Devan D. Patel ◽

John Milner ◽

Daniel S. Yang ◽

Brett D. Owens

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Case Series ◽

National Basketball Association ◽

High Rate ◽

Return To Play ◽

Lower Percentage ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in National Basketball Association (NBA) players can have a significant impact on player longevity and performance. Current literature reports a high rate of return to play, but there are limited data on performance after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Purpose/Hypothesis: To determine return to play and player performance in the first and second seasons after ACLR in NBA players. We hypothesized that players would return at a high rate. However, we also hypothesized that performance in the first season after ACLR would be worse as compared with the preinjury performance, with a return to baseline by postoperative year 2. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: An online database of NBA athlete injuries between 2010 and 2019 was queried using the term ACL reconstruction. For the included players, the following data were recorded: name; age at injury; position; height, weight, and body mass index; handedness; NBA experience; dates of injury, surgery, and return; knee affected; and postoperative seasons played. Regular season statistics for 1 preinjury season and 2 postoperative seasons were compiled and included games started and played, minutes played, and player efficiency rating. Kaplan-Meier survivorship plots were computed for athlete return-to-play and retirement endpoints. Results: A total of 26 athletes underwent ACLR; of these, 84% (95% CI, 63.9%-95.5%) returned to play at a mean 372.5 days (95% CI, 323.5-421.5 days) after surgery. Career length after injury was a mean of 3.36 seasons (95% CI, 2.27-4.45 seasons). Factors that contributed to an increased probability of return to play included younger age at injury (odds ratio, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.47-0.92]; P = .0337) and fewer years of experience in the NBA before injury (odds ratio, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.45-0.93]; P = .0335). Postoperatively, athletes played a significantly lower percentage of total games in the first season (48.4%; P = .0004) and second season (62.1%; P = .0067) as compared with the preinjury season (78.5%). Player efficiency rating in the first season was 19.3% less than that in the preinjury season ( P = .0056). Performance in the second postoperative season was not significantly different versus preinjury. Conclusion: NBA players have a high rate of RTP after ACLR. However, it may take longer than a single season for elite NBA athletes to return to their full preinjury performance. Younger players and those with less NBA experience returned at higher rates.

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Gait Analysis and Knee Kinematics in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture: Before and After Reconstruction

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10103378 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 3378

Author(s):

Dmitry Skvortsov ◽

Sergey Kaurkin ◽

Alexander Akhpashev ◽

Aljona Altukhova ◽

Alexander Troitskiy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Gait Analysis ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Surgical Reconstruction ◽

Control Group ◽

Cycle Duration ◽

Post Surgery ◽

Before And After ◽

Anterior Cruciate

The objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical, functional, and biomechanical symptoms in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture before and after ACL reconstruction. The study enrolled 20 patients and 20 healthy subjects as controls. Walking biomechanics was assessed at three time points: before surgery and three months and a year or more after surgical reconstruction. Impact loads on both sides differed significantly from the respective values before surgery (p<0.05). Walking cycle duration decreased with time after surgery. On both sides (affected and unaffected), hip movement amplitudes were significantly smaller than in control (p<0.05). They remained so in the follow-up periods after the reconstruction. Before ACL reconstruction, the amplitude of the main flexion of the knee was significantly reduced both on the affected and unaffected sides. The amplitude gradually increased after the reconstruction, and a year post-surgery, it reached, on the operated side, the same values as in the control group. Complete functional recovery of the knee joint was not achieved within a year after the ACL surgical reconstruction. The remaining changes, however, were not clinically pronounced and could only be detected by instrumental gait analysis. The compensatory processes developed bilaterally, in both the hip and knee joints.

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Outcomes and Complications After All-Epiphyseal Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Skeletally Immature Patients

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967117693604 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 232596711769360 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Eric J. Wall ◽

Paul J. Ghattas ◽

Emily A. Eismann ◽

Gregory D. Myer ◽

Preston Carr

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Case Series ◽

Reconstruction Technique ◽

Skeletally Immature ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Ikdc Score ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Bone Tunnels

Background: The safest and most effective technique for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in skeletally immature patients is currently unknown. Purpose: To evaluate the functional and patient-reported outcomes of a specific all-epiphyseal ACL reconstruction technique in which the graft, bone tunnels, and fixation do not cross the knee growth plates. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Twenty-seven patients (23 boys, 4 girls; mean age, 11 years; range, 8-15 years) underwent an all-epiphyseal ACL reconstruction with a single femoral transverse epiphyseal tunnel and primarily split tibial epiphyseal tunnels. Outcomes were evaluated in terms of the manual Lachman test, range of motion, pain, return to activity, angular or leg-length deformity on imaging, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) or Pedi-IKDC score an average of 3.8 years postoperatively, with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Results: The mean IKDC score was 94 ± 11. There were no growth arrests, but 3 patients had knee overgrowth, and 2 required a subsequent guided growth procedure. The ACL graft failed in 4 patients (15%), and 2 patients had contralateral ACL tears (7%). There were 5 subsequent ipsilateral meniscal tears, 4 of which were retears of a repaired meniscus. Ipsilateral knee reinjury significantly correlated with the number of associated injuries at the time of index surgery ( P = .040) and the number of sports played ( P = .029). Conclusion: All-epiphyseal ACL reconstruction resulted in excellent long-term functional outcomes, despite a high rate of complications (48%) and secondary procedures (37%) in this highly active cohort. The incidence of graft failure was similar to other standard ACL reconstruction techniques for patients younger than 20 years.

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Effects of Remnant Tissue Preservation on Tunnel Enlargement After Anatomic Double-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using the Hamstring Tendon

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967118811293 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (12) ◽

pp. 232596711881129 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Tetsuro Masuda ◽

Eiji Kondo ◽

Jun Onodera ◽

Nobuto Kitamura ◽

Masayuki Inoue ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Double Bundle ◽

Tissue Preservation ◽

Tunnel Enlargement ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Double Bundle Acl Reconstruction ◽

Tunnel Positions

Background: The effects of remnant tissue preservation on tunnel enlargement after anatomic double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction have not yet been established. Hypothesis: The preservation of ACL remnant tissue may significantly reduce the degree and incidence of tunnel enlargement after anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction, while the remnant-preserving procedure may not significantly increase the incidence of tunnel coalition after surgery. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 79 patients underwent anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction. Based on the Crain classification of ACL remnant tissue, 40 patients underwent the remnant-preserving procedure (group P), and the remaining 39 patients underwent the remnant-resecting procedure (group R). There were no differences between the 2 groups concerning all background factors, including preoperative knee instability and intraoperative tunnel positions. All patients were examined using computed tomography and a standard physical examination at 2 weeks and 1 year after surgery. Results: During surgery, the femoral and tibial anteromedial (AM) tunnel sizes in both groups averaged 6.6 and 6.5 mm, respectively. The femoral and tibial posterolateral (PL) tunnel sizes in both groups averaged 6 and 6 mm, respectively. There were no differences in the intraoperative tunnel positions and tunnel sizes between groups. Concerning the femoral AM tunnel, the degree of tunnel enlargement in the oblique coronal and oblique axial views in group P was significantly less than that in group R ( P = .0068 and .0323, respectively). Regarding the femoral AM tunnel cross-sectional area, the degree and incidence of tunnel enlargement in group P were significantly less than those in group R ( P = .0086 and .0278, respectively). There were no significant differences in tunnel coalition between groups. In each group, there were no significant relationships between tunnel enlargement and each clinical outcome. Conclusion: Remnant preservation in anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction reduced enlargement of the femoral AM tunnel and did not increase the incidence of tunnel coalition. This is one of the advantages of remnant-preserving ACL reconstruction.

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Equivalent Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores 12 and 24 Months After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Results From the Swedish National Knee Ligament Register

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/0363546517702871 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 45 (9) ◽

pp. 2085-2091 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Kristian Samuelsson ◽

Robert A. Magnussen ◽

Eduard Alentorn-Geli ◽

Ferid Krupic ◽

Kurt P. Spindler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Knee Injury ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Knee Ligament ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Background: It is not clear whether Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) results will be different 1 or 2 years after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Purpose: To investigate within individual patients enrolled in the Swedish National Knee Ligament Register whether there is equivalence between KOOS at 1 and 2 years after primary ACL reconstruction. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: This cohort study was based on data from the Swedish National Knee Ligament Register during the period January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2013. The longitudinal KOOS values for each individual at the 1- and 2-year follow-up evaluations were assessed through the two one-sided test (TOST) procedure with an acceptance criterion of 4. Subset analysis was performed with patients classified by sex, age, graft type, and type of injury (meniscal and/or cartilage injury). Results: A total of 23,952 patients were eligible for analysis after exclusion criteria were applied (10,116 women, 42.2%; 13,836 men, 57.8%). The largest age group was between 16 and 20 years of age (n = 6599; 27.6%). The most common ACL graft was hamstring tendon (n = 22,504; 94.0%), of which the combination of semitendinosus and gracilis was the most common. A total of 7119 patients reported on the KOOS Pain domain at both 1- and 2-year follow-ups, with a mean difference of 0.21 (13.1 SD, 0.16 SE [90% CI, −0.05 to 0.46], P < .001). The same results were found for the other KOOS subscales: symptoms (mean difference −0.54, 14.1 SD, 0.17 SE [90% CI, −0.81 to −0.26], P < .001), activities of daily living (mean difference 0.45, 10.8 SD, 0.13 SE [90% CI, 0.24 to 0.66], P < .001), sports and recreation (mean difference −0.35, 22.7 SD, 0.27 SE [90% CI, −0.79 to 0.09], P < .001), quality of life (mean difference −0.92, 20.0 SD, 0.24 SE [90% CI, −1.31 to −0.53], P < .001), and the combined KOOS-4 score (mean difference −0.41, 14.5 SD, 0.17 SE [90% CI, −0.70 to −0.13], P < .001). Analyses within specific subsets of patients showed equivalent results between the 2 follow-up evaluations. Conclusion: Equivalent results within patients were found in KOOS values at 1- and 2-year follow-ups after ACL reconstruction. The finding was consistent across all KOOS subscales and for all evaluated subsets of patients. This result implies that there is no additional value in capturing both 1- and 2-year KOOS outcomes after ACL reconstruction. However, these findings of equivalence at 1- and 2-year endpoints do not alleviate the need for longer follow-up periods.

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Return to Play and Performance in the Women’s National Basketball Association After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967120947078 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 232596712094707 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joseph S. Tramer ◽

Lafi S. Khalil ◽

Alexander Ziedas ◽

Nima Mehran ◽

Kelechi R. Okoroha

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

National Basketball Association ◽

Return To Play ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Women's National Basketball Association ◽

Playing Time ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

And Performance

Background: The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) athletes continues to increase. There is a paucity of data regarding return-to-play (RTP) rates and performance after ACL reconstruction in these athletes. Purpose: To quantify RTP rates and performance after ACL reconstruction in WNBA athletes. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: All ACL tears sustained in the WNBA from 1997 through 2018 were identified. Body mass index (BMI), age, and position at the time of injury were collected for each player. RTP rates were calculated, and performance data were collected for each player before and after injury to determine changes in playing time and statistical performance. Players who successfully returned to play after ACL reconstruction were compared with a group of healthy controls who were matched by age, years of experience, position, height, and BMI. Statistics at 1 and 3 years after injury were compared to assess acute and longitudinal changes in performance relative to preinjury baseline. Results: A total of 59 WNBA players sustained ACL tears during the study period, and 41 (69.5%) were able to successfully RTP. Players played a mean of 7.5 ± 12.8 fewer games, played 5.0 ± 9.2 fewer minutes per game, and scored 3.7 ± 5.0 fewer points per game in their first year after RTP compared with the year before injury. Athletes with ACL reconstruction demonstrated significantly decreased performance measures regarding games played, games started, minutes, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game in their first season after RTP compared with control athletes in the same indexed year; however, these differences resolved by year 3 after surgery. Conclusion: WNBA athletes have a high RTP rate after ACL reconstruction. Players may experience an initial decrease in playing time and performance when returning to play; however, these variables were found to return to baseline over time.

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