Comparison between Immediate and Delayed Weight Bearing in Arthroscopically Assisted Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Abstract

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most frequent orthopedic sports traumas. The treatment of choice for an ACL tear is ACL reconstruction and usually followed by 4-9 months of outpatient sports or orthopedic physical therapy. There are different exercises and regime variations in rehabilitation after surgery. Both weight-bearing and non-weight bearing exercises have been used and shown to be effective for rehabilitation in post ACL reconstruction and return to sport. Objectives: To compare the effect of immediate and delayed weight-bearing in a rehabilitation protocol after ACL reconstruction. Materials and Methods: Forty patients with an ACL injury with or without meniscal injury were included in the study. They divided into two groups, group A with immediate weight-bearing and group B delayed weight-bearing after surgery and we followed them with lysholm score and took results before surgery, after 3 months, and after 6 months from surgery. Results: Results of the mean value of lysholm score before surgery group A 65.40 and group B 66.90 with P-value 0.421, after 3 months group A 81.55 and group B 81.75 with P-value 0.904 and after 6 months from surgery group A 91.65 and group B 92.25 with P-value 0.675. Conclusion: There is no functional difference between immediate weight-bearing and delayed weight-bearing after ACL reconstruction. Clinically immediate weight-bearing better than delayed weight-bearing by improving muscle performance around the hip and knee and improve the condition of the cartilage, immediate weight-bearing not harmful on the knee joint or ACL graft.

Keywords

• acl reconstruction
• immediate weight-bearing
• arthroscopy
• delayed weightbearing