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AAOS announces new guidelines for ACL injury prevention and treatment
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The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recently announced that its board of directors has approved appropriate use criteria for ACL injury prevention programs and treatment, and released rehabilitation and function checklists.
Based on patient indications, including age, activity level, presence of advanced arthritis and the status of the ACL tear, the new “Appropriate Use Guideline for the Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries” provides more specific guidance for orthopedic surgeons and recommends next steps and procedures to ensure optimal recovery, according to a press release.
Advice regarding a supervised ACL injury prevention program for athletes who have no prior history of ACL reconstruction and no current history of ACL deficiency and are involved in either competitive or recreational sports is provided in the “Appropriate Use Guideline for ACL Injury Prevention Programs.”
In addition, the new ACL “Return to Play” and “Postoperative Rehabilitation” checklists “are evidence-based lists on what should be going on before an athlete returns to play, and are constructed in a way that realistically sets expectations for what needs to be accomplished,” the Appropriate Use Criteria Section Leader on the Committee on Evidence-Based Quality and Value, Robert H. Quinn, MD, stated in the press release.
The rehabilitation checklist details the post-surgical protocol, while the return to play checklist details items such as making sure the patient is confident in returning to sport, ensuring the graft and surgical site have fully healed and that range of motion, balance, knee stability, strength and function have been restored.
References:
www.orthoguidelines.org/auc.
www.aaos.org/research/Appropriate_Use/aclauctreatment.pdf.
www.aaos.org/research/Appropriate_Use/aclaucprevention.pdf.