Relationships between Objective Assessment of Ligament Stability and Subjective Assessment of Symptoms and Function after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Abstract

Background: Relationships between objective assessment of ligament stability and subjective assessment of symptoms and function after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction have not been established. Hypothesis: Relationships exist between objective and subjective assessments after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Study Design: Case series. Methods: Patients (N = 202) undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with 2-year minimum follow-up were studied. Objective variables of ligament stability at follow-up included instrumented laxity, Lachman examination, and pivot-shift examination. Subjective variables of symptoms at follow-up included pain, swelling, giving way, locking, crepitus, stiffness, and limping. Subjective function at follow-up included walking, squatting, stair climbing, running, cutting, jumping, twisting, activity limitation, sports level, activities of daily living level, work level, knee function, sports participation, Lysholm score, and satisfaction withoutcome. Results: Instrumented knee laxity and Lachman examination had no significant (P> .05) relationships with any subjective variables of symptoms and function. Pivot-shift examination had significant associations with satisfaction (P= .03), partial giving way (P= .01), full giving way (P= .01), difficulty cutting (P= .01), difficulty twisting (P= .01), activity limitation (P= .01), overall knee function (P= .03), sports participation (P= .02), and Lysholm score (P= .01). Conclusions: The pivot-shift examination may be a better measure of “functional instability” than instrumented knee laxity or Lachman examination after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.