title: Returning to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in amateur sports men: a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  According to the literature, 95% of professional athletes return to their sport after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. The main objective of this study was to verify the return to sport after ACL reconstruction in a homogenous group of amateur sportsmen and sportswomen in a series of Italian patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We designed a retrospective study in which we analyzed the amateur sports patients operated for ACL reconstruction. We verified whether they had returned to sporting activities by comparing the pre- and post-operative Tegner activity scores. We then analyzed the average time to restart the sporting activity and the Lysholm and International Knee Documenting Committee (IKDC) scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed 80 subjects: 47.5% restarted a sports activity, on average after eight months, with a significant reduction of their competitive level or physical commitment, as expressed by the Tegner activity score (pre-operative: 6.9; post-operative: 3.9; p<0.01). The functional knee recovery was good, as expressed by the average score of the Lyshom Knee Scoring Scale (93.5) and the IKDC (74.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the literature, a return to sport for international case studies and amateur sports is higher than our data. In our population we found the lack of information provided by the medical staff at discharge and follow-up. The assessment at a short-term follow up allowed us to verify that at the end of the post-surgical rehabilitation program the patients were uninformed about the timing and the ability to resume a sporting activity. An efficacious relationship between orthopedic doctor, physiotherapist and a doctor in motorial science may ensure proper treatment the patient after ACL reconstruction. It is important to guarantee the restarting of the sports activity to have a better quality of life in amateur sports. Level of evidence: V.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Unit, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy; Degree Course of Motor and Sport Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Notarnicola
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Unit, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maccagnano
authors.affiliation: Degree Course of Motor and Sport Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barletta
authors.affiliation: Degree Course of Motor and Sport Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ascatigno
authors.affiliation: Degree Course of Motor and Sport Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Leopoldo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Astuto
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Unit, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panella
authors.affiliation: Degree Course of Motor and Sport Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy; Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tafuri
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Unit, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy; Degree Course of Motor and Sport Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Biagio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moretti
keywords: anterior cruciate ligament; knee; return to sport; soccer; surgery