Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
Context: Compared to men, female athletes are up to ten times more likely to rupture their anterior cruciate ligament while playing soccer, a major stabilizer in the knee. These athletes undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and return-to-play (RTP) rehabilitation protocols; however, previous research on RTP has been limited to addressing individual underlying factors. This systematic review aims to use a more holistic approach and provide insights on which factors affect the overall RTP timeframe of female soccer athletes post ACLR, and in turn provide healthcare professionals with more certainty in return-to-play timeframes in female soccer players. Methods: A systematic literature search was completed in October 2019 via the PubMed database. The search utilized the PRISMA guidelines and used the following keyword combinations: “ACL” or “Anterior Cruciate Ligament”, “ACLR” or “Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction”, “Soccer” or “European Football” or “Football”, “Women” or “Female”, “Return To Sport” or “RTS”, “Return To Play” or “RTP”, “Return To Activity” or “RTA”. Articles excluded from the final analysis focused on ACL revision surgery, only included male participants, or if RTP timeframe post ACLR was not reported. Average and range of time to return to sport, average and range of time to return to competition, age at time of injury, and underlying factors such as motivation to RTP, hormonal levels, injury mechanism, graft choice, and rehabilitation protocols were extracted from the final selection of articles when available. This review was limited by performing the original search in a single research database. Results: Of the 29 records identified through database searching, five studies were included in this qualitative synthesis. A total of 649 knees were examined across all five studies. All records included in the final analysis reported RTP timeframe in some form or manner, along with factors influencing RTP. Multiple studies differentiated returning to play (practice) and returning to competition. Average time to return-to-play and return-to-competition were 7.3 and 9.3 months, respectively. The reported time to return to play and competition varied between studies, ranging between 5.5-9.0 and 6.1-12 months, respectively. Factors appearing to influence the timeframe of RTP the most included rehabilitation program, graft selection used to repair the torn ligament, and motivation to return to sport. Conclusions: The timeframe of RTP in female soccer players who have undergone ACLR varies with a number of factors contributing to intraindividual differences. The RTP timeframe appeared to be accelerated with specific factors such as utilizing autografts during ACLR and if the rehabilitation plans included exercises to oppose knee valgus motion. Future research should focus on improving the understanding of how motivation, rehabilitation plans, and graft selections influence RTP timeframe in female soccer players.
Time to Return-to-Play Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Female Soccer Players: A Systematic Review
UC 326
Context: Compared to men, female athletes are up to ten times more likely to rupture their anterior cruciate ligament while playing soccer, a major stabilizer in the knee. These athletes undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and return-to-play (RTP) rehabilitation protocols; however, previous research on RTP has been limited to addressing individual underlying factors. This systematic review aims to use a more holistic approach and provide insights on which factors affect the overall RTP timeframe of female soccer athletes post ACLR, and in turn provide healthcare professionals with more certainty in return-to-play timeframes in female soccer players. Methods: A systematic literature search was completed in October 2019 via the PubMed database. The search utilized the PRISMA guidelines and used the following keyword combinations: “ACL” or “Anterior Cruciate Ligament”, “ACLR” or “Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction”, “Soccer” or “European Football” or “Football”, “Women” or “Female”, “Return To Sport” or “RTS”, “Return To Play” or “RTP”, “Return To Activity” or “RTA”. Articles excluded from the final analysis focused on ACL revision surgery, only included male participants, or if RTP timeframe post ACLR was not reported. Average and range of time to return to sport, average and range of time to return to competition, age at time of injury, and underlying factors such as motivation to RTP, hormonal levels, injury mechanism, graft choice, and rehabilitation protocols were extracted from the final selection of articles when available. This review was limited by performing the original search in a single research database. Results: Of the 29 records identified through database searching, five studies were included in this qualitative synthesis. A total of 649 knees were examined across all five studies. All records included in the final analysis reported RTP timeframe in some form or manner, along with factors influencing RTP. Multiple studies differentiated returning to play (practice) and returning to competition. Average time to return-to-play and return-to-competition were 7.3 and 9.3 months, respectively. The reported time to return to play and competition varied between studies, ranging between 5.5-9.0 and 6.1-12 months, respectively. Factors appearing to influence the timeframe of RTP the most included rehabilitation program, graft selection used to repair the torn ligament, and motivation to return to sport. Conclusions: The timeframe of RTP in female soccer players who have undergone ACLR varies with a number of factors contributing to intraindividual differences. The RTP timeframe appeared to be accelerated with specific factors such as utilizing autografts during ACLR and if the rehabilitation plans included exercises to oppose knee valgus motion. Future research should focus on improving the understanding of how motivation, rehabilitation plans, and graft selections influence RTP timeframe in female soccer players.