Future ACL Injury Risk Runs High After ACL Reconstruction
Young athletes who undergo ACL reconstructive knee surgery have a significantly higher rate of suffering a second ACL injury within two years. In addition, girls appear to face greater risk than boys for injuring their other ACL during that time.
Findings of the study, published in July 2014 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, could lead to improved post-operative care and intervention strategies.
“The incidence of repeat injury is much higher than once thought in young, active patients,” says Mark Paterno, PhD, scientific director in the Division of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy and associate professor in the Division of Sports Medicine within the UC College of Medicine. “Essentially, this highlights the concern that our current outcome after ACL reconstruction is sub-optimal. With this knowledge, it is imperative that we challenge the current management after ACL injuries.”
Thirty areas of patient care at Cincinnati Children’s work within Patient Services, ranging from OT/PT and ambulatory services to audiology and outpatient clinics. In the field of sports medicine, numerous studies have examined the prevalence of second ACL injuries within the first year post-reconstruction, but none have reported the incidence normalized to athletic exposure, further out. The team found that, overall, 29.5 percent of these young athletes suffered a second ACL injury within two years of returning to sports.
The proportion of athletes reinjuring the same ACL during this period of time was similar between girls and boys. However, 23.7 percent of girls with such an injury later injured the other ACL, compared to just 10.5 percent of boys.
