Abstract
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is common after ACL injury, particularly in young, active individuals. However, after ACL reconstruction not all athletes will return to sport and these individuals are at a high risk for a second ACL injury and osteoarthritis. This chapter will discuss the screening algorithms available to evaluate athletes shortly after ACL injury and help determine who are good candidates to pursue nonoperative management and return to sport. Further, research has shown that with extended physical therapy following an ACL injury, many athletes can return to their prior level of sports without ACL reconstruction. With recent evidence that outcomes after operative and nonoperative ACL injury management do not necessarily favor surgery, the authors recommend that athletes undergo physical therapy and screening following ACL injury in order to determine if they may be a candidate for nonoperative management, as the decision to pursue nonoperative management is reversible, but ACL reconstruction is final.
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- 1.
It is important to make the clear distinction between the International Knee Documentation Committee form and the International Knee Documentation Committee 2000 Subjective Knee form. The International Knee Documentation Committee form includes both self-report and physical examination findings, particularly ligament and joint assessment, rating the knee as either normal, nearly normal, abnormal, or severely abnormal. The International Knee Documentation Committee 2000 Subjective Knee form, is purely a self-report measure regarding knee function. Eastlack et al. and Snyder-Mackler et al. found no difference between copers and non-copers on the International Knee Documentation Committee form.
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Arundale, A.J.H., Snyder-Mackler, L. (2017). How Can We Identify Copers?. In: Musahl, V., Karlsson, J., Kuroda, R., Zaffagnini, S. (eds) Rotatory Knee Instability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32070-0_37
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