ArticleOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2022
Rates and Determinants of Returning to Australian Rules Football in Male Nonprofessional Athletes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Article in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- The utility of psychological readiness scales in predicting return to sport: a systematic review.BMC psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Return-to-sport outcomes after primary and revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using quadriceps tendon autografts in highly active male athletes.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2026Article
- Clinical Outcomes of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Gaelic Games Players.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- In non-elite athletes, women are more likely to return to sports after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a retrospective cohort study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Return to Work After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2024Review
- Beyond physical recovery: investigating athletic identity as a mediator between social support and psychological readiness for return to sport.Australian journal of psychology · 2024Article
- Multi-planar instability, laxity and reduced knee flexion during the support phase of walking are determinants of return to sports.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundReturn to sport is a goal for most patients who undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, at a nonelite level, there are limited sport-specific data regarding rates or factors associated with return to play. PURPOSE: To report rates and determinants of returning to play Australian Rules football after ACL reconstruction in male nonprofessional athletes. STUDY
designCase-series; Level of evidence, 4.
methodsA total of 354 male nonprofessional Australian Rules football players who had undergone primary ACL reconstruction were asked to complete detailed sports activity questions at 12 months and 2 to 5 years (mean, 3 years) after surgery. Rates of return to play were calculated for both timepoints, along with preoperative patient expectations and postoperative sport performance. The following predictors of return to play were examined: age at surgery; height; weight; frequency of weekly football participation; sport participation level; psychological readiness to return to sport; and knee-related quality of life. Further ACL injuries were also documented. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize return-to-play data and contingency analysis for predictors of return to sport.
resultsThe rate of return to any level of play was 35% (95% CI, 30%-41%; n = 284) at the 12-month follow-up and 78% (95% CI, 72%-83%; n = 233) at the 2- to 5-year follow-up. Overall, 64% (95% CI, 57%-70%) of the patients were able to return to their same or higher level of play. Before surgery, 92% of the patients expected to return to their same preinjury level of Australian Rules football participation. At the 2- to 5-year follow-up, 61% who returned to play felt that they could perform as well as they could before their ACL injury. A greater psychological readiness to return to sport preoperatively and higher level of sport participation were significant predictors of a return at 2 to 5 years. Further ACL injuries were sustained by 21% of the cohort (15% graft rupture; 6% contralateral ACL injury).
conclusionMost male athletes who participate in Australian Rules football returned to some level of play after ACL reconstruction; however, only 64% returned to preinjury levels. Preoperative expectations were not met, and high reinjury rates are a cause for concern.
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