Pre- and Post-Operative Hamstring Autograft ACL Reconstruction Isokinetic Knee Strength Assessments of Recreational Athletes

Background and Objectives: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common injuries with a high incidence among people with high physical activity levels. Therefore, ACL reconstruction (ACLR) is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in sports medicine. This study aims to compare the pre- and 6-month post-operative isokinetic knee strengths in healthy (HK) and ACL knees of patients who underwent semitendinous/gracilis (ST/G) ACLR. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort of 21 recreational athletes who underwent ST/G ACLR by the same surgeon were evaluated. The pre- and 6-month post-operative isokinetic knee extension (Ex) and flexion (Flx) strengths of the HK and ACLR patients were evaluated in a series consisting of three different angular velocities (60, 180 and 240°/s). Of all the findings, peak torque (PT) and hamstring/quadriceps (H/Q) parameters were evaluated. Results: There was a significant improvement in post-operative Lysholm, Tegner and IKDC scores compared to pre-operative scores (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in pre-operative and post-operative knee Ex and Flx strengths at angular velocities of 60°, 180° and 240°/s in both the ACLR and HK groups (p < 0.001). There was no significance at 240°/s Flx for ACLR (p > 0.05). As for H/Q ratios, there was a significant difference between pre- and post-operative values only at 60°/s angular velocity in both ACLR and HC (p < 0.005). Conclusions: The pre-operative and 6-month post-operative results of the ST/G ACLR showed that there was a high level of recovery, particularly in quadriceps strength, while the increase in strength was less in the hamstring. The significance observed at 60°/s in H/Q ratios was within normal ranges. It can be argued that the ST/G ACLR method is feasible for people with high physical activity levels and for athletes.