Online registration of monthly sports participation after anterior cruciate ligament injury: a reliability and validity study

Abstract

Background: The current methods measuring sports activity after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury are commonly restricted to the most knee-demanding sports, and do not consider participation in multiple sports. We therefore developed an online activity survey to prospectively record the monthly participation in all major sports relevant to our patient-group.

Objective: To assess the reliability, content validity and concurrent validity of the survey and to evaluate if it provided more complete data on sports participation than a routine activity questionnaire.

Methods: 145 consecutively included ACL-injured patients were eligible for the reliability study. The retest of the online activity survey was performed 2 days after the test response had been recorded. A subsample of 88 ACL-reconstructed patients was included in the validity study. The ACL-reconstructed patients completed the online activity survey from the first to the 12th postoperative month, and a routine activity questionnaire 6 and 12 months postoperatively.

Results: The online activity survey was highly reliable (κ ranging from 0.81 to 1). It contained all the common sports reported on the routine activity questionnaire. There was a substantial agreement between the two methods on return to preinjury main sport (κ=0.71 and 0.74 at 6 and 12 months postoperatively). The online activity survey revealed that a significantly higher number of patients reported to participate in running, cycling and strength training, and patients reported to participate in a greater number of sports.

Conclusions: The online activity survey is a highly reliable way of recording detailed changes in sports participation after ACL injury. The findings of this study support the content and concurrent validity of the survey, and suggest that the online activity survey can provide more complete data on sports participation than a routine activity questionnaire.

Keywords: ACL; Athletics; Sporting injuries.

Figure 1

Flowchart of patient participation in the reliability and validity assessment of the online activity survey

Figure 2

Return to preinjury main sport from 1 month to 1 year postoperatively, as measured with the online activity survey and the routine activity questionnaire (n=74)

Figure 3

Percentage of patients participating in specific sports activities 12 months postoperatively, as measured with the online activity survey and the routine activity questionnaire (n=74) * p<0.05

Figure 4

Percentage of patients participating in level I, II and III sports from 1 month to 1 year postoperatively, as measured with the online activity survey and the routine activity questionnaire (n=74)