The impact of treatment strategy on the knee function, and physical and psychological health of athletes with an ACL tear

The present study aimed to compare knee function, as well as physical and psychological health, of athletes who underwent conservative treatment with those who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 31 athletes with a history of unilateral ACL tear who were placed in two groups: ACL reconstruction (18 people) and conservative treatment (13 people). Single and triple hop tests for distance and knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) were used for objective and subjective evaluation of knee function, respectively. The physical and psychological health of the athletes was also evaluated by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29 (PROMIS-29) questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data at a significance level of P≤0.05.

Based on the result, the ACL treatment strategy (reconstruction or conservative treatment) had a significant effect on physical performance, ability to participate in social activities, anxiety, and depression of athletes (P<0.05). Regarding the knee function, the obtained results pinpointed that the ACL treatment strategy had a significant effect on knee symptoms and stiffness, activities of daily living, sports performance, quality of life, and limb symmetry index in hop distance (P<0.05).

It can be stated that selective treatment after an ACL injury can affect athletes' knee function, sports performance, as well as physical and psychological health. Nonetheless, it is necessary to know that the current study is retrospective and has many limitations that should be considered.