How Athletic Swiss Patients Experience Their Return to Sports After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Results from a Retrospective Self-Assessment

Introduction: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are frequent injuries, especially in athletes. Return to sports after reconstruction of the ligament is a frequently debated topic and of high relevance for these patients. It is mostly achieved at 9-12 months post-surgery. However, the risk of subsequent knee injuries is high and psychological factors play an important role in the process and success of returning to sports. Little is known about patients' perception of their journey returning to sports. This study aims to fill the gap.

Material and methods: The study aimed to include patients treated surgically for an ACL injury over 5 years at a specialized sports-medicine clinic. Patients were surveyed on the impact of the injury on their lives, their return to sports experience, and medical history.

Results: In total, 100 (of 474) patients aged 35.9 years responded. Within 5 years, 19% experienced a reoperation and 23% a new knee injury. Overall, 83% of patients returned to their main sport, 72% reached their pre-injury level. However, 45% reported at least one distinct or severe consequence of their ACL injury. The ability to return to sports had more impact on the perception of the course of treatment than the experience of new injuries or surgery.

Conclusion: The rate of successful return to sports was comparable to previous reports despite a higher average age in this cohort. A successful return to sports seems to be a major determinant for the perception of impact from the injury and may be more important than the avoidance of repeat trauma.