Functional performance 2-9 years after ACL reconstruction: cross-sectional comparison between athletes with bone-patellar tendon-bone, semitendinosus/gracilis and healthy controls.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to provide descriptive data on functional performance in men and women with ACLR, to compare bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) with semitendinosus/gracilis (STG) within the same sex and to compare the ACLR subjects with healthy controls.

METHODS: Eligible participants comprised 100 men (43 % BPTB) and 84 women (41 % BPTB) after ACLR, of whom 30 men (STG n = 19; BPTB n = 11) and 18 women (STG n = 12; BPTB n = 6) were untraceable/not willing and 15 men (STG n = 9; BPTB n = 6) and 18 women (STG n = 12; BPTB n = 3) were not able to take part in the measurements because of injury. Besides men BPTB (n = 24), men STG (n = 27), women BPTB (n = 23) and women STG (n = 23), healthy men (n = 22) and women (n = 22) participated. Measurements consisted of questionnaires, isokinetic peak torque and endurance tests, a hop test battery and drop jump including video analysis.

RESULTS: Only the occurrence of dynamic knee valgus differed between ACLR and healthy subjects.

CONCLUSION: Two to nine years after ACLR, 16 % of athletes could not participate because of a lower extremity injury. In the remaining group, this study showed similar results for males and females with BPTB compared with STG. Also, similar results are found for quantity of movement comparing operated and healthy subjects. For quality of movement, only the occurrence of dynamic knee valgus in landing from a jump is higher in operated subjects compared with healthy controls. This supports the relevance of a focus on quality of movement as part of ACLR rehabilitation programmes and return to sports criteria.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.