Exploring Rehabilitation Protocols for Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair: Insights From a Scoping Review

The primary repair of the anterior cruciate ligament has re-emerged as a treatment for acute ruptures. While numerous studies have investigated rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, few have focused on primary repair. We aimed to describe the rehabilitation protocols for primary anterior cruciate ligament repair in order to identify knowledge gaps and differences between primary anterior cruciate ligament repair and reconstruction.

A scoping review design was selected because of the descriptive and exploratory nature, aiming to identify and map available research evidence from various databases relevant to the research question. Evaluation of study quality and risk of bias is not required in scoping reviews.

A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science identified a total of 66 studies involving over 3100 participants. No randomized controlled trials directly comparing postoperative rehabilitation protocol were identified. Eight items of the rehabilitation protocols were analyzed, based on existing clinical practice guidelines for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. This review highlights the inadequacy and heterogeneity of the available data.

This review revealed a lack of consistent evidence and called for the development of standardized, technique-specific rehabilitation guidelines after primary anterior cruciate ligament repair. Clinical trials and transparent reporting are needed to establish validated protocols.