The Relationship Between Joint Awareness and Muscle Strength, Return to Sports and Quality of Life After ACL-R Surgery in Recreational Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objectives:The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between joint awareness, muscle strength, return to sports and quality of life in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) with hamstring tendon autografts.Patients and Methods:Aged between 18-40 years 23 patients with ACL-R at least one year after the surgery participated in the present study. Muscle strength was measured with ISOMED 2000 isokinetic dynamometer. Joint awareness, quality of life and return to sport were evaluated respectively by using Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Quality of Life Questionnaire (ACL-QoL) and Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to sport after Injury (ACL-RSI).'Results:There was a moderate correlation between FJS-12 with ACL-RSI (r=0.441; p=0.035), and ACL-QoL scores (r=0.505; p=0.014). A strong positive correlation was found between ACL-RSI and ACL-QoL scores (r=0.827; p<0.001). There was no correlation between muscle strength and FJS-12, ACL-RSI, and ACL-QoL scores in the patients with ACL-R (p>0.05). Conclusion:This current study showed that joint awareness was related to return to sports and quality of life in the long term following ACL-R. In conclusion, we recommend minimizing joint awareness for a better quality of life and returning to sports.