scholarly journals Injury-Related Fears During the Return-to-Sport Phase of ACL Reconstruction Rehabilitation

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 232596712090938
Author(s):  
Adam Meierbachtol ◽  
Michael Obermeier ◽  
William Yungtum ◽  
John Bottoms ◽  
Eric Paur ◽  
...  

Background: Fear of reinjury is common after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and often deters a return to preinjury sport participation. A better understanding of injury-related fear is needed to inform rehabilitation strategies. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to (1) identify individual fear-evoking tasks or situations, (2) compare the intensity and amount of change relative to other injury-related fears (reinjury, knee giving way, and knee pain) after completion of a return-to-sport training program, and (3) determine whether standardized questionnaires can identify the intensity of fear for the individual fear-evoking task or situation and for fear of reinjury. The hypothesis was that the task or situation that evokes fear would vary across patients and the intensity of that fear would be higher and show less change after return-to-sport training compared with other injury-related fears. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Participants included 33 patients (15 males; mean age, 18 years) with ACLR who enrolled in a group-format return-to-sport training program. Questionnaires completed before and after return-to-sport training included items to specify fear-evoking tasks or situations, items to rate the intensity of various injury-related fears, the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Return to Sport after Injury scale (ACL-RSI), and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11). Results: The most common fear-evoking task or situation was cutting, followed by contact, jumping, and other. Intensity of fear-evoking task or situation was higher than other injury-related fears, but all fears decreased in intensity after training. The ACL-RSI score better identified the intensity of fear for the individual fear-evoking task or situation and for fear of reinjury than did the TSK-11 score. Conclusion: Activities that evoke fear vary across patients, but fear of cutting is common. The intensity of common fears after ACLR decreased after advanced group training, and large effect sizes were seen for nearly all examined fears. Fear of reinjury and intensity of individually feared tasks may be better reflected in the ACL-RSI score than the TSK-11 score.

Joints ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 05 (03) ◽  
pp. 156-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Zanovello ◽  
Federica Rosso ◽  
Alessandro Bistolfi ◽  
Roberto Rossi ◽  
Filippo Castoldi

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 857-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
April L. McPherson ◽  
Julian A. Feller ◽  
Timothy E. Hewett ◽  
Kate E. Webster

Background: Psychological responses after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and ACL reconstruction (ACLR) have been identified as predictors of return to sport but have not been investigated in relation to further injury. Purpose/Hypothesis: To determine whether psychological readiness to return to sport is associated with second ACL injury. It was hypothesized a priori that at both preoperative and 12-month postoperative time points, patients who sustained a second ACL injury would have lower psychological readiness than patients who did not have a second injury. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Patients who had a primary ACLR procedure between June 2014 and June 2016 completed the ACL–Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) (short version) scale before their ACLR and repeated the scale at 12 months after surgery to assess psychological readiness to return to sport. Patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years (range, 2-4 years) after surgery to determine further injury. The primary outcome was the relationship between ACL-RSI scores and the incidence of second ACL injury. Results: In 329 patients who returned to sport after ACLR, 52 (16%) sustained a second ACL injury. No difference in psychological readiness was observed at the preoperative time point, but patients who sustained a second injury trended toward lower psychological readiness at 12 months compared with noninjured patients (60.9 vs 67.2 points; P = .11). Younger (≤20 years) patients with injury had significantly lower psychological readiness to return to sport than young noninjured patients (60.8 vs 71.5 points; P = .02), but no difference was found in older patients (60.9 vs 64.6 points; P = .58). In younger patients, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a cutoff score of 76.7 points with 90% sensitivity to identify younger patients who sustained a second ACL injury. Conclusion: Younger patients with lower psychological readiness are at higher risk for a second ACL injury after return to sport.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 2948-2953
Author(s):  
Madison R. Heath ◽  
Alexandra H. Aitchison ◽  
Lindsay M. Schlichte ◽  
Christine Goodbody ◽  
Frank A. Cordasco ◽  
...  

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonatan Kaplan ◽  
Erik Witvrouw

Context: There is an ever-increasing trend toward sports, fitness, and recreation activities, so the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament sports injuries has increased. Perhaps the greatest challenge for sports clinicians is to return the injured athlete back to his/her original sport at an even greater level of functional ability than preinjury. For this, rigorous and well-researched criteria are needed. Evidence Acquisition: Using medical subject headings and free-text words, an electronic search was conducted up to October 2018. Subject-specific search was based on the terms return to play and return to sport in combination with guidelines, criteria, and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Study Design: Descriptive review. Level of Evidence: Level 2. Results: Five principal criteria were found, including psychological factors, performance/functional tests, strength tests, time, and modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors. Conclusion: The psychological readiness of the player is a major factor in successful safe return to sport (SRTS) decision making. Although strength, performance, and functional tests presently form the mainstay of SRTS criteria, there exists very little scientific evidence for their validity. More protection should be provided to athletes with known risk factors. Movement quality is important, if not more important than the quantifiable measures. As a result of the significantly high rerupture rate in young individuals, delayed SRTS should be considered preferably beyond 9 months postsurgery.


Joints ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 06 (02) ◽  
pp. 075-079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Parchi ◽  
Gianluca Ciapini ◽  
Carlo Paglialunga ◽  
Michele Giuntoli ◽  
Carmine Picece ◽  
...  

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.


2021 ◽  
pp. 194173812110141
Author(s):  
Caroline Mouton ◽  
Alli Gokeler ◽  
Anouk Urhausen ◽  
Christian Nührenbörger ◽  
Romain Seil

Background: The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries is commonly reported as an annual incidence rate. There is relatively little information about the seasonal aspects of these injuries. The aim of the current study was to analyze the distribution of ACL injuries during the season in nonprofessional soccer, handball, and basketball based on a retrospective analysis of a hospital-based registry. Hypothesis: ACL injuries in soccer, handball, and basketball were more common within the first 2 months of the season in comparison with the rest of the year. Study Design: Case series. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: Injury occurrence during the calendar year was divided into 6 periods of 2 months, with segment 1 (S1) representing the first 2 months of the season. For soccer, S1 corresponded to September and October. The season started 1 month later for handball and basketball, so S1 represented October and November. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the distribution of ACL injuries among segments according to gender, age, sports, and injury mechanism (contact/noncontact). Results: A total of 371 ACL injuries were included (soccer, 258, handball, 56, basketball, 57). Overall, the distribution of ACL injuries was not uniform across the segments ( P < 0.01). Almost one-third of the ACL injuries occurred in S1 (n = 104; 28%). Significant differences could be observed according to sports ( P < 0.01). There were fewer ACL injuries in S2 for soccer compared with basketball ( P < 0.05). In S5, there were significantly more ACL injuries in soccer compared with handball and basketball ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: A high occurrence of ACL injuries was reported immediately within the first 2 months of the season in nonprofessional soccer, handball, and basketball sports. Clinical Relevance: These findings indicate that ACL injury prevention programs should be started in the preseason period to allow for gradual increases of load.


SICOT-J ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Fahad N.A. Alkhalaf ◽  
Sager Hanna ◽  
Mohammed Saleh Hattab Alkhaldi ◽  
Fares Alenezi ◽  
Aliaa Khaja

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are commonly seen in orthopedic surgery practice. Although anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) has come a long way, the causes of failure have yet to be fully understood. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the intraoperative 4-strand hamstring autograft diameter does in fact influence the failure rates of ACLR. Methods: Retrospective intraoperative data were collected from ACLR patients from the only tertiary center available in Kuwait. Patients who underwent ACLR from 2012 to 2018 for isolated ACL injuries were included in this study, allowing for a 24 month follow-up period The cohorts were categorized into 3 groups: patients with graft size≤8mm, 2, patients with graft sizes≥8mm with 4-strands and patients with graft sizes≥8mm with 4-strands or more. ANOVA analysis was applied to address group differences between mean graft size and strand numbers and subsequently the failure rates for each group. In addition, the Mann–Whitney U test was used to investigate the relationship between revision and initial ACL graft size. Results: Out of the 711 out of 782 patients were included in this study. Only 42.6% of the patients did not need more than 4-strands to achieve an 8mm sized autograft. The patients who had autografts≤8mm in this study accounted for 17.1% of the population. About 7.2% of these patients required revision surgery. Patients with a 4-strand autograft size that was less than 8mm were 7.2 times more at risk for ACLR failure (RR=7.2, 95% CI: 6.02; 8.35, p=0.007). Conclusions: There is a significant correlation between 4-strand autograft diameter size and the need for ACLR revision surgery. Level of evidence: IV case series


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 232596711984108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Courtot ◽  
Fabrice Ferre ◽  
Nicolas Reina ◽  
Vincent Marot ◽  
Philippe Chiron ◽  
...  

Background: It is estimated that 28% of patients are dissatisfied after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, in part because they do not understand the procedure well enough. Purpose: To assess the postoperative comprehension, satisfaction, and functional outcomes of 2 patient groups: 1 undergoing a standard surgical procedure (standard group) and 1 involved in their surgery (participation group). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Over a 4-month period, 62 patients were included: 31 in the standard group and 31 in the participation group. The preoperative information, surgical technique, anesthesia, and postoperative course were identical in both groups. Patients in the participation group were allowed to watch the arthroscopic portion of their surgery live on a video screen, and standardized information was given to these patients during the arthroscopic phase. Self-administered questionnaires were given to assess comprehension (Matava score), satisfaction (visual analog scale [VAS] for satisfaction, Net Promoter Score [NPS], and Evaluation du Vécu de l’Anesthésie LocoRégionale [EVAN-LR]), and outcomes (International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC] form and Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Return to Sport after Injury [ACL-RSI] scale) between groups. Results: Postoperative comprehension was significantly improved in the participation group, as the Matava score increased by a mean of 7.1 ± 5.3 points versus 2.7 ± 5.6 points in the standard group ( P = .0024). The mean VAS satisfaction score immediately after surgery was 9.8 ± 0.6 in the participation group versus 8.9 ± 1.9 in the standard group ( P = .0033); this difference was still present at 1 year postoperatively (9.8 ± 0.6 vs 9.1 ± 1.7, respectively; P = .0145). The NPS was 96.8% in the participation group versus 64.5% in the standard group ( P = .0057) in the immediate postoperative period and 100.0% in the participation group versus 71.0% in the standard group at 1 year postoperatively ( P = .0046). The mean total EVAN-LR score was 89.1 ± 6.5 in the participation group and 84.6 ± 9.9 in the standard group ( P = .0416). At 1 year postoperatively, the mean IKDC score was 86.0 ± 7.5 in the participation group versus 80.0 ± 7.4 in the standard group ( P = .0023). The mean ACL-RSI score was 80.9 ± 7.7 in the participation group versus 74.3 ± 8.4 in the standard group ( P = .0019). Conclusion: Involving patients in their ACL reconstruction surgery improves their understanding of the procedure and their satisfaction with their care, which results in better outcomes at 1 year postoperatively.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 578-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate E. Webster ◽  
Julian A. Feller

Background: There is limited information about patient expectations regarding return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). While it has generally been assumed that patients expect to return, it has also been acknowledged that expectations may change after surgery. Purpose: To investigate return-to-sport expectations before and after ACLR and determine factors associated with changed expectations. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: The study sample consisted of 675 eligible patients (437 male, 238 female). Return-to-sport expectations were recorded preoperatively. Primary ACLR was performed in 595 patients (of whom 81 had a prior contralateral ACLR) and revision ACLR in 80 patients. At 12 months after surgery, the return to preinjury sport status was assessed along with patients’ current sport expectations. The proportion of patients who expected to return to their preinjury level of sport was determined along with actual return rates. Logistic regression was performed to determine the factors associated with the decision to cease sport participation in patients who had expected to be able to return to their preinjury level of sport. Results: Overall, 84% of patients expected to be able to return to their preinjury level of sport. Expectations were higher for patients about to undergo their first ACLR, with 88% expecting to return, than for those about to undergo revision surgery or second primary ACLR (63% and 80% expected to return, respectively; P < .001 and P = .08, respectively). At 12 months after surgery, 24% of patients who expected to return to their preinjury level of sport had actually returned, and 15% of all patients had already decided to give up sport. In the regression models, being female ( P = .02) and having undergone previous ACLR ( P < .0001) were factors significantly associated with the decision to give up sport participation. Conclusion: Patients had high expectations for returning to their preinjury level of sport at the time of undergoing initial ACLR. Expectations were lower for those who had undergone previous ACLR. Female patients and patients who had undergone previous ACLR were more likely to change their expectations and cease sport participation. These data can be used to provide patients with realistic return-to-sport expectations in the first postoperative year and highlight the challenge for patients who aim to return from multiple ACL injuries.


Author(s):  
Takeshi Oshima ◽  
Samuel Grasso ◽  
Aaron Beach ◽  
Brett Fritsch ◽  
David A Parker

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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