97 papers, newest 30 shown · updated 2026-09-26 · Sports Medicine · All topics
The newest papers on ACL injury and reconstruction from the orthopaedic journals The Reduction reads, newest first, each with a one-line summary. The list is drawn from the digest’s archive and refreshed every week.
Get new Sports Medicine papers by email, free: subscribe to The Reduction, focused on your interests, on the days you pick.
In 30 patients after ACL reconstruction, knee extension deficits at 2 months were linked to worsening medial femoral cartilage T2 relaxation at 6 months, suggesting early ROM loss may accelerate cartilage degeneration and OA risk.
Focus groups with experienced physiotherapists show they rely on communication, goal-setting, and graded exposure to address psychological readiness after ACL reconstruction, but lack formal training in this area.
In 521 ACL surgery patients, only injury chronicity (not tear location) independently predicted anterior tibial translation, so tear type shouldn't be used to predict knee laxity.
This commentary argues the SANTI classification is useful for clinically screening arthrogenic muscle inhibition after ACL reconstruction but should not be equated with mechanistic measures like voluntary activation testing.
Among 165 ACLR patients, persistent lack of knee confidence at 2 years was linked to significantly lower activity and sports function scores, independent of age, sex, or graft type.
In revision ACL reconstruction with soft-tissue grafts, adding suture augmentation improved activity scores, reduced graft failure, and increased return-to-sport rates compared to isolated reconstruction.
In ACL primary repair, poor synovial sheath integrity (<50%) and younger age independently predicted repair failure, and worse sheath integrity correlated with more complex tear patterns and worse outcomes.
Steeper medial posterior tibial slope was linked to progressively greater postoperative anterior tibial translation after ACL reconstruction, an effect lessened by lateral extra-articular tenodesis but worsened by older age and medial cartilage damage.
Among 129 post-ACLR patients, landing mechanics (LESS scores), strength, and patient-reported outcomes did not differ between contact and noncontact injury mechanisms, supporting continued focus on landing mechanics in rehab regardless of injury type.
ACL injury mechanism in elite and recreational handball players.
A large Danish registry study found most handball ACL injuries were non-contact, occurring during pivoting or landing while in ball possession, especially among back-line players on offense.
In 441 ACL reconstruction patients with concomitant chondral lesions, cartilage severity and location did not affect return-to-play rates, timing, or performance at 5 years, though high-grade medial lesions predicted worse PROs.
MRI analysis found a more horizontal, distally attached ACL posterolateral bundle associated with lateral femoral condyle osteochondritis dissecans, suggesting a possible role in disease pathogenesis and healing prediction.
Despite good objective stability after ACL reconstruction, reconstructed knees still feel less 'forgotten' than the healthy knee, and greater psychological readiness (ACL-RSI) is strongly linked to better long-term joint awareness.
In a large propensity-matched database study, adding lateral extra-articular tenodesis to ACL reconstruction was associated with more early complications, arthrofibrosis, meniscal reoperation, and osteoarthritis without reducing revision ACL surgery, urging careful patient selection.
A 40-expert Delphi consensus supports anterolateral ligament reconstruction or lateral extra-articular procedures for high-grade pivot shift, revision ACL surgery, and high-risk pivoting athletes, but not routine use in all ACL patients.
In professional athletes after ACLR, absolute hop performance combined with psychological readiness (ACL-RSI) predicted reinjury risk better than traditional limb symmetry index thresholds.
Meta-analysis of 13 studies shows generalized joint laxity is linked to greater residual knee laxity after ACL reconstruction, though graft failure rates and clinical outcomes remain inconsistently affected.
In elite athletes with high posterior tibial slope and failed ACLR, combining slope-reducing osteotomy with revision ACLR enabled all patients to return to preinjury sport level with excellent functional outcomes and no graft failures.
Patients with ACL rupture showed bilateral gait changes—reduced hip external rotation/adduction and ankle internal rotation plus lower affected-side knee flexion—supporting rehab that addresses both limbs.
In ACLR patients, those with weaker quadriceps recovery show more persistent abnormal knee gait mechanics than stronger-recovery patients, and neither group fully normalizes to controls—supporting adjunct gait-focused rehab beyond strength training alone.
CT analysis showed manually contoured femoral head/neck allograft achieved 68-92% filling of tibial and femoral tunnel osteolytic defects before 2-stage revision ACL reconstruction, with lower cost than prefabricated dowels.
In 335 Japanese female athletes, noncontact ACL injuries peaked during late puberty (84%), identifying this developmental stage as a key risk period.
Increasing age markedly lowers the absolute (but not relative) ACL graft rerupture risk from elevated posterior tibial slope, supporting age-integrated slope-based risk stratification before ACL reconstruction.
Cadaveric testing showed that combining a ramp lesion with a lateral meniscus root tear in an ACL-deficient knee significantly worsens rotational and anterior translational instability compared to either lesion alone.
In a large Swedish registry study of football players, ACL autograft type was not associated with revision ACL reconstruction, though quadriceps tendon grafts were linked to higher contralateral ACL injury risk in women.
Lateral collateral ligament sign in ACL-deficient pediatric knees occurs independent of generalized joint hyperlaxity, suggesting ACL-specific instability indicator.
In 59 patients undergoing combined ACL reconstruction and bucket-handle medial meniscal repair, greater arthroscopic synovial coverage of the ACL graft strongly correlated with meniscal healing, suggesting synovialization as a biological marker of repair success.
Cadaveric study shows MCL repair with or without suture augmentation reduces ACL force versus a cut MCL, but adding augmentation only modestly lowers residual valgus laxity at mid-flexion angles.
Concomitant MCL injury did not increase ACL revision risk but reduced sport/recreation outcomes; bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft showed lower revision risk than hamstring graft in this population.
Synovial inflammatory phenotypes at ACL reconstruction with meniscal injury predict baseline severity and differential recovery patterns; phenotype-dependent biomarker associations guide prognostication.
Prospective biomechanical testing showed increased knee valgus angle and abduction moment during landing strongly predicted future ACL injury risk in female athletes, supporting targeted neuromuscular training.
The Long-term Consequence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Meniscus Injuries
This review of ACL and meniscus injuries addresses their long-term link to osteoarthritis, the pathogenic mechanisms involved, and the lack of evidence that surgical repair prevents this progression.
Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries: Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies
Reviews environmental, anatomic, hormonal, and biomechanical risk factors for noncontact ACL injuries, finding neuromuscular training may reduce risk in female athletes though more research is needed.
Post-ACLR landing biomechanics (frontal-plane knee valgus, hip rotation moment, knee extensor asymmetry) and postural stability deficits strongly predicted second ACL injury after return to sport.
Risk of Secondary Injury in Younger Athletes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
This meta-analysis found nearly 1 in 4 young athletes returning to sport after ACL reconstruction sustain a second ACL injury, highlighting major reinjury risk from youth and return-to-play activity.
Home · All topics · Archive · Subscribe · FAQ
© 2026 The Reduction