Guidelines summary to optimise return to play in football players after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
FEATURE / Florian FORELLI
The return to play after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is the major goal of rehabilitation. According to several studies, ACL injury accounts for 6 to 14% (1,2) of injuries in football, however, this injury keeps the athlete away from the field for many months with social and economic impact, as well as the significant physiological and psychological effects of the injury. Walden et al. estimated a prevalence of 0.309 per 1000 hours of play and 0.013 per 1000 hours of training (3). With the risk of recurrence, therapists should adopt optimal rehabilitation strategies in order to overcome a new injury and/or complication as well as reduce the time before return to play. In fact, the young athlete seems to be at a higher rate of relapse with a risk of recurrence of approximately 25% (4,5).