Hyalofast Cartilage Repair Surgery with a Full Load-Bearing Rehabilitation Program One Day after Operation Reduces the Time for Professional Athletes to Return to Play

Background and Objectives: This study evaluated the effectiveness of Hyalofast cartilage repair surgery with an early, full load-bearing rehabilitation program one day after the operation for reducing the time needed for professional athletes to return to play. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 49 patients aged between 19 and 38 years who had undergone surgical reconstruction of cartilage using the microfracture technique combined with a Hyalofast scaffold. All patients were active professional athletes. Early rehabilitation was implemented from the first postoperative day, fully loading the operated limb. A clinical evaluation was based on the KOOS and SF-36 questionnaires used during subsequent follow-up visits. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the effect of the surgery after one year. Results: The clinical results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the number of complaints about pain and in the quality of life of the patients, measured in all of the applied scales, with comparisons made between six months or one year post-surgery and pre-surgery. Importantly for athletes, the parameter related to sports and recreation improved from 14 ± 11.1 to 95 ± 7.7 6 months after surgery and to 99.8 ± 1.8 one year after surgery. The overall quality of life score improved from 30 ± 18 to 88 ± 8.8 one year after surgery. Conclusions: These results show that this approach significantly shortened the time needed for the athletes to return to sports at the same level as before the surgery (athletes returned to sports in approximately 2.5–3 months). The mean follow-up time was 19.75 months. This technique can be considered a viable option for the treatment of cartilage injuries in professional athletes, allowing them to return to play more quickly in a safe and healthy way.