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Return to Sport (General Aspects)

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Arthroscopy and Sport Injuries

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Abstract

Clearance for return to sport after ACL reconstruction is moving toward a criteria-based progression through rehabilitation, with specific goals to be met prior to advancing to the next stage of rehabilitation. These goals include specific measures of physical strength, dynamic control and stability, as well as observation of proper biomechanics in the injured extremity compared to the uninjured extremity. Additionally, subjective recovery and psychological recovery are important factors to be evaluated as they affect the athlete’s ability to successfully return to sport postoperatively. Meeting minimum subjective and objective criteria prior to return to sport could lead to better protection of the ACL graft and prevent future injury. However, although correlations exist between physical and psychological indices with subjective and objective outcomes as well as return-to-sport rates, there is a lack of data directly associating success in these areas with reduced risk of reinjury upon return to sport. Future research is needed to correlate this data. The requirement to meet defined criteria prior to return-to-sport clearance may prove to be an effective method of assuring a safe and successful return to sport.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Loyola University Medical Center, 2160 S. First Ave, Maguire Building Suite 1700, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA

    Ryan R. Sullivan MD, Antony Hazel MD, Sarunas Skadas PT, DPT & Pietro M. Tonino MD

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  1. Ryan R. Sullivan MD
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  2. Antony Hazel MD
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  3. Sarunas Skadas PT, DPT
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  4. Pietro M. Tonino MD
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Correspondence to Pietro M. Tonino MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Knee Orthopedics and Sport Traumatology Unit,, Humanitas Clinical Institute IRCCS, Milan, Italy

    Piero Volpi

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Sullivan, R.R., Hazel, A., Skadas, S., Tonino, P.M. (2016). Return to Sport (General Aspects). In: Volpi, P. (eds) Arthroscopy and Sport Injuries. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14815-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14815-1_7

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