Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33195714›Full record

ReviewOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2020

Return to Play and Performance After Primary ACL Reconstruction in American Football Players: A Systematic Review.

Bailey J Ross, Ian Savage-Elliott, Symone M Brown, Mary K Mulcahey

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears among Football Players.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2025
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation.HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery · 2023
    Article
  18. Common Soft Tissue Injuries About the Knee in American Football.HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery · 2023
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Bailey J RossTulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Ian Savage-ElliottDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Symone M BrownDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Mary K MulcaheyDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common sports-related injuries, and they can have a negative impact on players' ability to return to play (RTP). There is a paucity of literature focused on RTP after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) in collision sports. PURPOSE: To characterize the impact that an ACL injury has on the ability to RTP and the post-ACLR performance level in American football players. STUDY

designSystematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

methodsAn electronic search was performed using the following databases: the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Included studies were written in English; were published since the year 2000; examined only American football players; and reported on RTP, performance, and/or career length after primary ACLR.

resultsThe initial search yielded 442 unique studies. Of these, 427 were removed after screening, leaving 15 studies that met inclusion criteria. An additional 2 studies were identified in these studies' references, yielding a total of 17. The rate of RTP after ACLR for football players was 67.2% (1249/1859), and the mean time to return was 11.6 months (range, 35.8-55.8 weeks). Although considerable heterogeneity existed in the study design and outcomes measured, in general, a majority of football players experienced greater declines from their preinjury performance level than controls over the same time period.

conclusionAn ACL injury negatively affected football players' ability to RTP and their post-ACLR performance. The degree of effect varied by several factors, including playing position, preinjury performance level, and National Football League Draft round. These results may be used by physicians and football players to develop reasonable expectations for returning to play and performance after an ACL injury.

Indexed as

ACLfootballinjuryreturn to sport

Identifiers

PMID33195714
PMCPMC7607798

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.