By Jordana Bieze Foster
Two hours of patient education before anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction can significantly reduce rates of reinjury in the first year after surgery, according to research from Funabashi Orthopedic Hospital in Japan.
Investigators analyzed 252 ACL reconstruction patients who voluntarily chose to attend a two-hour lecture prior to undergoing surgery and 200 patients who chose not to attend. The same surgical technique was used in all patients, and patient activity levels were similar between the two groups.
The lecture, which included a slide presentation and patient handouts, has been offered to ACL reconstruction patients since 2003. It covers ACL anatomy, a description of the operative procedure, rehabilitation, and risk factors for reinjury. Patients who attended the lecture were told to expect about 10 months of rehabilitation before being able to return to sports participation.
At a mean follow-up of 20.9 months, the number of subsequent ACL injuries did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, the reinjury rate in the first year after surgery was significantly lower in the patient education group than the control group, according to Kenji Sato, PT, a researcher at the hospital who presented the group’s findings at the IOC conference in Monaco.
Source:
Sato K, Tsuchiya A, Kanisawa I, et al. The effect of educational lecture on reducing reinjury after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Br J Sports Med 2014;48(7):658.
