Another valuable paper was published recently by OPTIKNEE Consensus Group in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BMJ). OPTIKNEE Consensus is an international consensus group that involves more than 30 individuals. Their aim is to develop evidence-based consensus recommendations for rehabilitation to optimize musculoskeletal health and prevent post-traumatic osteoarthritis following knee trauma. They are funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research.

This paper reviewed the evidence levels in ACL and meniscal injuries rehabilitation.

Below you can find the study flow diagram and what this paper adds to the current body of knowledge on the subject, as well as our social media poster summary of the study.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN?

1. The outcome of ACL and meniscal injuries is often poor (many are not able to return to their pre-injury level of activity), and there is a high risk of reinjury, persistent symptoms, and a poor quality of life after the injury.
2. ACL and meniscal rehabilitation do not have a sufficient consensus regarding the optimal components, leading to substantial heterogeneity in rehabilitation protocols.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS?

1. The evidence for the effectiveness of ACL rehabilitation interventions is limited, despite 22 systematic reviews, including 142 randomized controlled trials, in improving symptomatic and functional outcomes.
2. The highest level of evidence for ACL rehabilitation in this review had moderate certainty. (see the RESULT poster below)
3. There is an urgency for high-quality randomized clinical trials with a sufficient sample size to improve the overall quality of evidence.
4. This systematic review found no evidence supporting the rehabilitation of isolated traumatic meniscal injuries in young adults.

Prepared by:

Ivana Banićević, PhD student
MSc Sports Medicine / MSc Sports Science
Head of HERC’s Research Department

Reference:

Culvenor AG, Girdwood MA, Juhl CB, et al. Rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament and meniscal injuries: a best-evidence synthesis of systematic reviews for the OPTIKNEE consensus. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 29 June 2022. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105495.