Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Successful recovery following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) hinges largely on the rehabilitation program.  Given that most ACL injuries are sports-related, the goal of rehabilitation is normally to return to sport as quickly as possible.  While up to 80% of ACLR patients return to some kind of sporting activity following surgery, only 65% return to pre-injury level.  Poor rehabilitation and/or premature return to sport are suggested as primary reasons for limited performance and predisposition to injury following ACLR.  

There is currently no consensus on the content of post-ACLR rehabilitation programs and no agreement on the objective progression criteria (or discharge criteria) before returning to sporting activities.  A recent systematic review addressed the quality of available evidence on post-ACLR rehabilitation; however, there is little information available for daily practice application on important topics such as exercise initiation or timing of rehabilitation and exercise-specific topics such as the use of eccentric training, plyometrics training, etc. 

To address this gap in the clinical guidance, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of the current rehabilitation interventions and provided evidence-based recommendations on rehabilitation programs and return to sport criteria.

RESEARCH REVIEW: ‘Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction‘

This paper was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2023). 

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