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. 2022 Jul;30(7):2200-2208.
doi: 10.1007/s00167-021-06765-8. Epub 2021 Oct 12.

Factors affecting return to play and graft re-rupture after primary ACL reconstruction in professional footballers

Ganesh Balendra  1 , Mary Jones  1 , Kyle A Borque  2 , Lukas Willinger  3 , Vitor Hugo Pinheiro  1 , Andy Williams  4
Affiliations

Factors affecting return to play and graft re-rupture after primary ACL reconstruction in professional footballers

Ganesh Balendra et al. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: Modern ACL reconstruction (ACL-R) techniques have led to improved outcomes in professional footballers. The aim of this study was to identify and assess patient, surgical and post-operative factors that affected rates and time to return to play (RTP) as well as ACL re-rupture rates.

Methods: A retrospective review of consecutive ACL-R undertaken in professional footballers between 2005 and 2018.

Results: Two-hundred and thirty-two knees in 215 professional footballers (17 bilateral) were included. 205 (88.9%) were male and average age at surgery was 23.3 ± 4.4 years. Two-hundred and twenty-two (96.1%) returned to professional football, with 209 (90.1%) returning to the same or higher Tegner level. Subgroup analysis revealed three factors that independently affected RTP rate: (1) Players under 25 years had a higher rate of RTP (99.3% vs 90.2%. p = 0.001); (2) a subsequent operation prior to RTP decreased RTP rate from 98.2 to 89.7% (p = 0.009).; (3) undergoing meniscal surgery at ACL-R decreased RTP rate (p = 0.002). The mean time to RTP from surgery was 10.5 ± 3.6 months. Factors found to increase RTP time included age under 25 (11.0 vs 9.7 months, p = 0.005), recurrent effusions (11.4 vs 10.2 months, p = 0.035), and medial meniscal repair at ACL-R compared to meniscectomy (12.5 vs 9.6 months, p = 0.022). The surgical technique varied over the study period in relation to graft type, femoral tunnel position and addition of lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET). Overall, the re-rupture rate was 8.2% at 2 years. Patella tendon autograft in an anteromedial bundle femoral tunnel position with addition of LET has the lowest re-rupture rate (2.0%).

Conclusion: Primary ACL-R in professional footballers yields high rates of RTP (96.1%), with 90.1% at the same level or higher, at a mean 10.5 months. Patients under 25 years not only had a significantly higher RTP rate, but also had a lengthier period of rehabilitation.

Level of evidence: Level IV.

Keywords: ACL graft rupture; ACL reconstruction; Football; Return to play.

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