Return to preinjury sports after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is predicted by five independent factors

Purpose To determine factors that predict return to the same frequency and type of sports participation with similar activity demands as before injury. Methods Individuals 1 to 5 years after primary ACL reconstruction completed a comprehensive survey related to sports participation and activity before injury and after surgery. Patient characteristics, injury variables, and surgical variables were extracted from the medical record. Return to preinjury sports (RTPS) was defined as: “Returning to the same or more demanding type of sports participation, at the same or greater frequency with the same or better Marx Activity Score as before injury.” Variables were compared between individuals that achieved comprehensive RTPS and those that did not with univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results Two-hundred and fifty-one patients (mean age 26.1 years, SD 9.9) completed the survey at an average of 3.4 years (SD 1.3) after ACL reconstruction. The overall rate of RTPS was 48.6%. Patients were more likely to RTPS if they were younger than 19 years old (OR = 4.07; 95%CI 2.21–7.50; p < 0.01) or if they were competitive athletes (OR = 2.07; 95%CI 1.24–3.46; p = 0.01). Patients were less likely to RTPS if surgery occurred more than 3 months after injury (OR = 0.31, 95%CI 0.17–0.58; p < 0.01), if there was a concomitant cartilage lesion (OR = 0.38; 95%CI 0.21–0.70; p < 0.01), and if cartilage surgery was performed (OR = 0.17; 95%CI 0.04–0.80; p = 0.02). Conclusion Five variables best predicted RTPS including age at time of surgery. Only time from injury to surgery is a potentially modifiable factor to improve RTPS; however, the reasons for which patients delayed surgery may also contribute to them not returning to sports. Regardless, younger patients, those that partake in sports on a competitive level, those that undergo surgery sooner, or do not have a cartilage injury or require cartilage surgery are more likely to return to pre-injury sports participation. Level of evidence III.