The effect of injury-to-surgery time interval on the results of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Abstract

Due to the high prevalence of ACL injuries and the importance of treatment and prevention of its complications, accurate biomechanical evaluation of the knee joint is necessary not only to diagnose but also to determine the treatment plan and recovery time, follow up and evaluate the success of treatment. Therefore, we decided to conduct a study to investigate the effect of the time interval between injury and surgery on the subjective and objective results of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction of the knee. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort that was performed during 2018-2019 with the participation of 99 patients who were candidates for elective ACL reconstruction surgery. The injury to surgery time interval was recorded for the patients and and the objective and subjective results of the surgery were evaluated. Data were collected in SPSS Ver 22 software and compared with t-test and Mann-Whitney U tests with a mean level of alpha of less than 0.05. Results: Regarding the results of the completed questionnaires (Lysholm, Cincinnati, IKDC, and Tegner), it was found that the results before surgery and after surgery had significant changes; Thus, all four variables were associated with appropriate improvement after follow-up. There was no significant relationship between injury to surgery time interval and neither objective nor subjective outcome of the ACL reconstruction surgery.