Abstract
The purpose of this article was to analyze clinical and functional results after medial
patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction and to establish if a computer-assisted
physical test battery could determine a “safe timing” to return to sport. We hypothesized
that “time-based” criteria to declare safe return to sport could not be reliable to
predict functional recover. Fifty-eight young athletic patients were selected after
isolated reconstruction of MPFL. The minimum follow-up was 8 months. All the patients
were evaluated subjectively with Kujala and Short Form 36 (SF-36) scores and objectively
through a standardized computer-assisted physical battery of seven tests (Back in
Action, Corehab). No patient was lost at the end point of follow-up and no recurrence
of patellar dislocation was reported. At 8 months, 31 patients (53.4%) returned to
sport at preoperative levels, and 23 (39.6%) participated in sports at lower levels.
The subjective evaluation reported an increase of Kujala (60–92.7) and SF-36 score
(28.6/25.4–52.2/53.6). At computer-assisted objective assessment, only 23 patients
(39.6%) fulfilled the criteria for safe return to sport, while 31 (53.4%) got an insufficient
outcome and 4 (6.9%) failed to complete the test. From our data, clinical scores after
MPFL reconstruction provide only little insight into return to sport. The introduction
of a computer-assisted objective analysis in the decision-making process for proper
return to sport is necessary to evaluate functional recovery and dynamic knee stability.
Keywords
MPFL reconstruction - return to sport - functional evaluation - battery test
