OBJECTIVE FACTORS AFFECTING OVERALL SUBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF RECOVERYAFTER ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION

The goal of this prospective study was to determine how objective meas urements affect the overall subjective evaluation of recovery after an terior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and to evaluate the effe cts of graft material, residual instability and sporting activity on p atient satisfaction. Ninety-seven patients with unilateral ACL injurie s whose ACL was reconstructed using either a multi-strand semitendinos us (ST) graft or a central-third bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) graft were followed for an average of 30 months. An ''overall subjective re covery score'' was derived from the patients' evaluation of function o f the operated knee as a percentage of the unoperated knee. The mean o verall subjective recovery score at follow-up was 80% (range, 20% to 1 00%). This study strongly suggested that integrity of the knee extensi on mechanism, that is, good recovery of knee extension strength with a chievement of full extension and no problems in the patellofemoral joi nt, is the most important factor in patient satisfaction after ACL rec onstruction.