scholarly journals Reintroduction of running after ACL reconstruction with a hamstring graft: can we predict short-term success?

Author(s):  
Benoit Pairot de Fontenay ◽  
Joachim van Cant ◽  
Alli Gokeler ◽  
Jean-Sebastien Roy

ABSTRACT Context: Return to running (RTR) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) is a crucial milestone. However, there is uncertainty on how and when to start a running program. Objective: To explore the feasibility of a structured program to reintroduce running after ACL-R and to evaluate the predictive value of potential predictors of short-term success. Design: Longitudinal cohort study. Setting: Local Research Center / participant's home. Patients: Thirty-five participants were recruited after ACL-R. Intervention: Program with a progression algorithm to reintroduce running (10 running sessions in 14 days). Main outcome measures: The criterion for short-term success was no exacerbation of symptoms. Potential predictors included: (i) the International Knee Document Committee (IKDC) subjective knee form; (ii) ACL Return to Sport after Injury questionnaire; (iii) quadriceps and hamstring strength; (iv) Step-Down Endurance test; and (v) the modified Star Excursion Balance test. Descriptive statistics were performed to study the feasibility of the RTR program and Poisson regression analysis was used to evaluate predictors of success. Results: Of the 34 participants included, 33 completed the RTR program. Sixteen participants experienced some temporary exacerbation of symptoms, but only one had to stop the RTR program. Initial IKDC score was the only significant predictor of a successful RTR with an Area under the ROC curve of 80.4%. An ICKD cut-off of 63.7/100 differentiated responders and non-responders with the highest sensitivity and specificity (77.8% and 75.0%, respectively). There was a 3-fold greater chance of success with an IKDC score above this threshold. Conclusions: Our results confirm the feasibility of our RTR program and progression algorithm after ACL-R. Clinicians should use an IKDC score of >64 as a criterion to reintroduce running after ACL-R to increase the likelihood of short-term success.

Author(s):  
Christopher Kuenze ◽  
David Robert Bell ◽  
Terry L. Grindstaff ◽  
Caroline Michele Lisee ◽  
Thomas Birchmeier ◽  
...  

Context Postoperative functional and return-to-sport outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) differ by sex. However, whether sex disparities are observed in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) before return to sport after ACLR is unclear. Objectives To compare common PROMS between young men and women who had not yet returned to sport after ACLR. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting University laboratory. Main Outcome Measure(s) Forty-five young men (age = 18.7 ± 2.7 years, time since surgery = 6.8 ± 1.4 months) and 45 matched for age (±1 year) and time since surgery (±1 month; age = 18.8 ± 2.8 years, time since surgery = 6.9 ± 1.4 months) with ACLR participated. Participants completed the Tegner Activity Scale, ACL Return to Sport After Injury scale, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Evaluation Score, and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). The PROMS were compared between men and women using Mann-Whitney U tests. Odds ratios were calculated to evaluate the odds of a male reporting a PROM value above the previously established normative value as compared with a female. Results Sex differences were present for the IKDC score (P = .01) and KOOS Pain score (P = .04) but not for the Tegner activity level (P = .22), ACL Return to Sport after Injury scale score (P = .78), Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia score (P = .64), or other KOOS subscales (P values = .40 to .52). The odds of reporting values above normative levels differed only for the IKDC score (odds ratio = 2.72, 95% confidence level = 1.16, 6.38). Conclusions After ACLR, young men and women reported similar levels of knee-related function, fear of movement, and readiness for return to sport and were equally likely to meet clinically meaningful normative values before return to sport. Overreliance on patient reports or objective functional outcomes in evaluating patient progress and readiness for return to sport after ACLR may limit clinicians in their ability to comprehensively evaluate and develop individualized interventional approaches that optimize patient outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 3570
Author(s):  
Łukasz Oleksy ◽  
Anna Mika ◽  
Aleksandra Królikowska ◽  
Maciej Kuchciak ◽  
Magda Stolarczyk ◽  
...  

Background: The decision to return to sport (RTS) after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is difficult; thus, coaching staff require a readable, easy-to-use, and holistic indication of an athlete’s readiness to play. Purpose: To present the Composite Score of Readiness (CSR) as a method providing a single score for RTS tests after ACL reconstruction. Methods: The study comprised 65 male football players (age 18–25 years), divided into three groups: ACL group—subjects after ACL rupture and reconstruction, Mild Injury (MI) group—subjects after mild lower limb injuries, and Control (C) group—subjects without injuries. The CSR was calculated based on three performed tests (Y-balance test, Functional Movement Screen, and Tuck Jump Assessment) and expressed as the sum of z-scores. The CSR index allows highlighting an athlete’s functional deficits across tests relative to the evaluated group. Results: The CSR indicated that relative to the group of athletes under the study, similar functional deficits were present. Comparing athletes following ACL reconstruction to both the MI and C groups, in the majority of subjects, the CSR index was below zero. The correlation between CSR and raw tests results indicated that the CSR is most strongly determined by YBT. Conclusion: The CSR is a simple way to differentiate people after serious injuries (with large functional deficits) from people without injuries or with only small deficits. Because the CSR is a single number, it allows us to more easily interpret the value of functional deficits in athletes, compared to rating those deficits based on raw tests results.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 232596711882029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishal S. Desai ◽  
Gregory R. Anderson ◽  
Isabella T. Wu ◽  
Bruce A. Levy ◽  
Diane L. Dahm ◽  
...  

Background: Surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most common orthopaedic procedures, with an estimated 100,000 to 175,000 procedures performed annually. Recently, the all-inside reconstruction technique has come into favor and is theorized to be superior to the complete tibial tunnel technique. Purpose: To compare clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for hamstring autograft ACL reconstruction (ACLR) performed with an all-inside versus a complete tibial tunnel technique. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Patients who underwent hamstring autograft ACLR via either an all-inside approach (femoral and tibial sockets) or a complete tibial tunnel approach (femoral socket and full-length, transtibial tunnel) at a single institution between July 2011 and July 2015 were reviewed. Demographic information, preoperative comorbidities, surgical details, physical examination findings, and follow-up outcomes were extracted from the medical record. Physical examination data included pivot-shift, Lachman, and range of motion examinations, whereas PROs included the Tegner activity scale, Lysholm score, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score at a minimum of 2 years after surgery. Return to sport and risk factors for failure were analyzed. Results: A total of 82 patients (mean ± SD age, 25.8 ± 10.2 years) who underwent all-inside reconstruction (median PRO follow-up, 30.1 months; range, 24.7-72.9 months) and 54 patients (mean ± SD age, 21.1 ± 7.3 years) who underwent complete tibial tunnel reconstruction (median PRO follow-up, 25.8 months; range, 23.9-74.5 months) met the inclusion criteria. PRO scores at latest follow-up were comparable between the all-inside versus the complete tibial tunnel groups (Lysholm score, 93.8 vs 94.4, P = .621; IKDC score, 93.5 vs 93.3, P = .497; Tegner activity score, 6.4 vs 6.8, P = .048). Complications (including graft failure) were experienced by 20% of patients in the all-inside group compared with 24% in the complete tibial tunnel group ( P = .530). Graft failure before the final follow-up was experienced by 10% of patients in the all-inside group compared with 19% in the complete tibial tunnel group ( P = .200). Mean return to sport was 12.5 months in the all-inside group versus 9.9 months in the complete tibial tunnel group ( P = .028). Conclusion: All-inside and complete tibial tunnel hamstring autograft ACLR resulted in excellent physical examination findings and PROs at minimum 2-year follow-up. Both techniques successfully restored knee stability and patient function.


2021 ◽  
pp. 036354652110130
Author(s):  
Stefano Nuccio ◽  
Luciana Labanca ◽  
Jacopo Emanuele Rocchi ◽  
Pier Paolo Mariani ◽  
Paola Sbriccoli ◽  
...  

Background: The acute effects of exercise on anterior knee laxity (AKL) and anterior knee stiffness (AKS) have been documented in healthy participants, but only limited evidence has been provided for athletes cleared to return to sports after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR). Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose was to determine if 45 minutes of a soccer match simulation lead to acute changes in AKL and AKS in soccer players returning to sport within 12 months after ACLR. We hypothesized that the reconstructed knee of the ACLR group would exhibit an altered response to sport-specific exercise. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A total of 13 soccer players cleared to return to sport after ACLR and 13 healthy control soccer players matched for age, physical activity level, limb dominance, and anthropometric characteristics were recruited. To assess the effects of a standardized soccer match simulation (Soccer Aerobic Field Test [SAFT45]) on AKL and AKS, an arthrometric evaluation was carried out bilaterally before and immediately after SAFT45. To conduct a comprehensive examination of the force-displacement curve, the absolute and side-to-side difference (SSD) values of both AKL and AKS were extracted at 67, 134, and 200 N. Results: The ACLR and control groups showed similar AKL and AKS at baseline ( P > .05). In response to SAFT45, laxity increased bilaterally at all force levels by 14% to 17% only in the control group ( P < .025). Similarly, AKS at 134 and 200 N decreased in response to SAFT45 only in the control group (10.5% and 20.5%, respectively; P < .025). After SAFT45, the ACLR group had 1.9 and 2.5 times higher SSDs of AKS at 67 and 134 N compared with the control group, respectively ( P < .025), as well as a 1.9 times higher SSD of AKS at 134 N compared with baseline ( P = .014). Conclusion: Soccer players at the time of return to sport after ACLR showed an altered mechanical response to a sport-specific match simulation consisting of bilaterally unchanged AKL and AKS. Clinical Relevance: Soccer players showing altered AKL and AKS in response to exercise after ACLR may not be ready to sustain their preinjury levels of sport, thus potentially increasing the risk of second ACL injuries.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2331
Author(s):  
Stefano Di Paolo ◽  
Nicola Francesco Lopomo ◽  
Francesco Della Villa ◽  
Gabriele Paolini ◽  
Giulio Figari ◽  
...  

The aim of the present study was to quantify joint kinematics through a wearable sensor system in multidirectional high-speed complex movements used in a protocol for rehabilitation and return to sport assessment after Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, and to validate it against a gold standard optoelectronic marker-based system. Thirty-four healthy athletes were evaluated through a full-body wearable sensor (MTw Awinda, Xsens) and a marker-based optoelectronic (Vicon Nexus, Vicon) system during the execution of three tasks: drop jump, forward sprint, and 90° change of direction. Clinically relevant joint angles of lower limbs and trunk were compared through Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r), and the Coefficient of Multiple Correlation (CMC). An excellent agreement (r > 0.94, CMC > 0.96) was found for knee and hip sagittal plane kinematics in all the movements. A fair-to-excellent agreement was found for frontal (r 0.55–0.96, CMC 0.63–0.96) and transverse (r 0.45–0.84, CMC 0.59–0.90) plane kinematics. Movement complexity slightly affected the agreement between the systems. The system based on wearable sensors showed fair-to-excellent concurrent validity in the evaluation of the specific joint parameters commonly used in rehabilitation and return to sport assessment after ACL injury for complex movements. The ACL professionals could benefit from full-body wearable technology in the on-field rehabilitation of athletes.


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