2022 AOSSM Annual Meeting Recordings with CME-Early Versus Standard Return to Sport Following ACL Reconstruction. Impact on Volume of Play and Career Logevity in 180 Professional European Soccer Players

Early Versus Standard Return to Sport Following ACL Reconstruction. Impact on Volume of Play and Career Logevity in 180 Professional European Soccer Players

Back to course

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Mike Battaglia discusses a study on the return to play timeline for professional European soccer players following ACL injuries. The study aims to determine if early return to play, defined as less than six months after surgery, leads to higher graft failure rates and shorter professional careers. The study included male players from top leagues such as Serie A and Champions League but excluded players with multiligament knee injuries. Data collected included position, club, and league level at the time of injury, as well as operative reports and return to play timelines. The findings show that while early return to play did result in more graft failures, players in this group returned more frequently in the same season, played similar numbers of games and minutes, and had longer professional careers.

Asset Caption

Michael Battaglia, MD

Keywords

return to play timeline

ACL injuries

professional European soccer players

graft failure rates

shorter professional careers