Clinical course and recommendations for patients after anterior cruciate ligament injury and subsequent reconstruction: A narrative review

Almost all athletes who have suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury expect a full return to sports at the same pre-injury level after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Detailed patient information on the reasonable outcomes of the surgery may be essential to improve patient satisfaction. Pre-operative rehabilitation before ACLR should be considered as an addition to the standard of care to maximise functional outcomes after ACLR. We propose an optimised criterion-based rehabilitation programme within a biopsychosocial framework. No benchmark exists for evaluating return-to-sport (RTS) readiness after ACLR. Therefore, the authors propose a multi-factorial RTS test battery. A combination of both physical and psychological elements should be included in the RTS test battery. There is need for shared decision-making regarding RTS. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2017;2:410-420. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.2.170011