Initial laxity does not correlate with subsequent laxity after ACL reconstruction in humans: a prospective evaluation

Fifty-seven patients without other ligament injury underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (50 B-L-B, 7 hamstring). KT-1000 assessments were made preoperatively in clinic under anesthesia before and immediately after fixation and at 6-month follow-up. Preoperative manual maximum (ManMax) side-to-side difference (ManMaxdelta) under anesthesia (9.2 +/- 3.5 mm) was significantly larger than in clinic (6.1 +/- 1.8 mm), P < .0001. This difference is important when arthrometer thresholds are used for decision making. ManMaxdelta increased significantly from -0.7 +/- 2.5 mm immediately after surgery to 2.1 +/- 2.3 mm at 6 months (P < .0001). There was no significant correlation between immediate postoperative and 6-month ManMaxdelta (r = .125).