Associations Between Patient-Reported Outcomes and Dual-Task Jump Performance After ACL Reconstruction: Analyses by...

Subjective patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and physical performance tests are important tools for assessing rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). However, the associations and interrelationships between PROMs and dual-task jump performance, and sex-specific differences among patients with ACLR remain unclear.

Associations exist between PROMs and dual-task jump performance, and do not differ between men and women with ACLR.

Controlled laboratory study.

Level 3.

A total of 44 sports-active people with ACLR (50% men; mean [SD] 25.4 [16.0] months postsurgery) completed the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC-SKF), the Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) scale, and a dual-task drop vertical jump test. The test incorporated cognitive challenges targeting short-term memory, attention, fast decision-making, and inhibitory control. Dual-task performance was quantified as the percentage of correctly completed memory and motor trials. Associations were analyzed using partial correlations, controlling for time post-ACLR.

Across all participants, no significant correlations were observed between dual-task performance and ACL-RSI or IKDC-SKF scores (r = 0.02-0.14; P = 0.37-0.92). Women demonstrated positive correlations (r = 0.39-0.40; P = 0.07-0.08) with both PROMs, suggesting a potential association, although shallow linear slopes, whereas men showed negative, nonsignificant correlations (r = -0.10 to -0.36; P = 0.11-0.65). A high and significant correlation was found between ACL-RSI and IKDC-SKF scores among women (r = 0.76; P < 0.01) but not men (r = 0.36; P = 0.11).

After ACLR, ACL-RSI and IKDC-SKF scores were not significantly associated with dual-task jump performance. However, women showed greater consistency between the 2 PROMs than men.

The ACL-RSI, IKDC-SKF, and dual-task jump performance capture distinct aspects of recovery, potentially reflecting different biopsychosocial constructs, highlighting the importance of considering sex-specific factors in post-ACLR rehabilitation and assessment.