ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2025
Plastic deformation of anterior cruciate ligament: listen to the patient, do not just rely on imaging.
Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Return to sport after ACL reconstruction in female athletes: a meta-analysis of return rates and time to return.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative assessment of graft maturity after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using different graft types: a systematic review.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Pooled it
- Autograft maturation assessed by sequential quantitative MR T2 mapping and its correlation with patient-reported outcomes and return to sports during the first year after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Article
- Identification and prediction of isolated lateral meniscal lesions in the Chinese population using MRI-based anatomical parameters.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- 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
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeDiagnosing plastic deformation of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is challenging: patients may not report knee instability, and MRI may not confirm the lesion, delaying adequate treatment. This study analyzed clinical findings and complaints in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of plastic deformation of the ACL.
methodsData on complaints, physical, imaging and arthroscopic assessment, and subjective evaluation of 15 patients with undiagnosed or delayed ACL insufficiency from plastic deformation of the ACL (Group 1) and 30 patients who underwent an ACL reconstruction following complete tear of the ACL diagnosed clinically and at imaging (Group 2) were compared and analyzed.
resultsA knee effusion was reported in both study groups, occurring within the first 4 h after the index knee injury, and it was statistically more significant in the complete ACL tear group. All patients reported low values (zero, one, and two) on a scale from zero to 10 in their confidence in performing high-intensity pivoting sports and physical activities. All patients reported that they did not feel comfortable in performing changing direction pivoting on their injured knee.
conclusionPlastic deformation of the ACL may not be clearly manifest clinically and on MRI, and physical exam may present subtle findings that do not allow to fully assess the function of the injured ligament. Therefore, surgeons should listen to the patient, not just rely on imaging, taking into account the patient's report of how the knee is working and their complaints as they remain the leading guide for decision-making. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: Diagnostic studies - Investigating a diagnostic test.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.