SynthesisCartilage2021
Return-to-Play and Rehabilitation Protocols following Cartilage Restoration Procedures of the Knee: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Cartilage, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- High Variability in Return-to-Sport Assessment After Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation of the Knee: A Systematic Review.Cartilage · 2026Pooled it
- Management and Outcomes of Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2026Review
- Return to sport after ACL reconstruction, meniscus and cartilage surgeries in professional soccer players: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Knee surgery & related research · 2026Review
- Biomimetic tri-layered osteochondral scaffold : study of early implant stability in a sheep model.Bone & joint research · 2025Article
- The post-operative loading regimen influences the regenerative potential of a biomimetic osteochondral scaffold.Biomedical engineering online · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Tibiofemoral Contact Mechanics After a Novel Hybrid Procedure for Femoral Osteochondral Defect Repairs With a Subchondral Implant and Dermal Matrix.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2024Article
- Current Concepts on the Management of Shoulder Instability in Throwing Athletes.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2024Review
- Return to Play After Knee Articular Cartilage Restoration: Surgical Options, Rehabilitation Protocols, and Performance Outcomes.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2023Review
- Rehabilitation of Soccer Players' Knee Injuries: Cartilage Reconstruction, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery, and Intensive Recovery-A Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Hyalofast Cartilage Repair Surgery with a Full Load-Bearing Rehabilitation Program One Day after Operation Reduces the Time for Professional Athletes to Return to Play.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
- Retrograde "Sandwich" Technique and Implantation of Minced Cartilage in a Hyaluronic Acid Scaffold for Deep Osteochondral Knee Lesions.Arthroscopy techniques · 2023Article
- Within or Without You? A Perspective Comparing In Situ and Ex Situ Tissue Engineering Strategies for Articular Cartilage Repair.Advanced healthcare materials · 2022Article
- The Most Common Rehabilitation Protocol After Matrix-Assisted Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Is Immediate Partial Weight-Bearing and Continuous Passive Motion.Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation · 2022Review
- Rehabilitation, Restrictions, and Return to Sport After Cartilage Procedures.Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation · 2022Article
- Article
- Autologous Minced Cartilage Implantation for Treatment of Chondral and Osteochondral Lesions in the Knee Joint: An Overview.Cartilage · 2021Review
- Osteochondral Lesions of the Distal Tibial Plafond: A Systematic Review of Lesion Locations and Treatment Outcomes.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2021Review
- Arthroscopic Minced Cartilage Implantation (MCI): A Technical Note.Arthroscopy techniques · 2021Article
- Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature and to evaluate the reported rehabilitation protocols, return-to-play guidelines, and subsequent rates of return to play following cartilage restoration procedures in the knee.
designMEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched according to the PRISMA guidelines to find studies on cartilage restoration procedures in the knee, including (1) microfracture (Mfx), (2) osteochondral autograft transfer (AOT), (3) osteochondral allograft implantation (OCA), and (4) autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). Studies were included if they reported return-to-play data or rehabilitation protocols.
resultsOverall, 179 studies fit our inclusion criteria, with 48 on Mfx, 34 on AOT, 54 on OCA, and 51 on ACI. The rate of return to play was reported as high as 88.2% with AOT, and as low as 77.2% following OCA, with rates of return to play at the same/higher level as high as 79.3% with AOT, and as low as 57.3% following ACI. The average reported time of return to play was as low as 4.9 months with AOT, and as high as 11.6 months following ACI.
conclusionsThe majority of patients are able to return to play following cartilage restoration procedures in the knee, regardless of surgical procedure utilized. However, while the rate of return to play at the same level was similar to the overall rate of return following AOT, there was a large number of patients unable to return to the same level following Mfx, OCA, and ACI. Additionally, there is wide variety in the rehabilitation protocols, and scant literature on return-to-play protocols.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.