Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40353956›Full record

ArticleJournal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology2025

Early versus standard return to play following ACL reconstruction: impact on volume of play and career longevity in 180 professional European soccer players: a retrospective cohort study.

Michael Battaglia, Justin W Arner, Kaare S Midtgaard, Daniel B Haber, Liam A Peebles, Annalise M Peebles, Phob Ganokroj, Ryan J Whalen, Matthew T Provencher, Guglielmo Torre and 2 more

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Michael BattagliaVilla Stuart Sport Clinic-FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Rome, Italy.
Justin W ArnerDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Kaare S MidtgaardDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Daniel B HaberPanorama Orthopedics and Spine Center, Denver, CO, USA.
Liam A PeeblesSteadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, CO, USA.
Annalise M PeeblesSteadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, CO, USA.
Phob GanokrojSteadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, CO, USA.
Ryan J WhalenSteadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, CO, USA.
Matthew T ProvencherSteadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, CO, USA.
Guglielmo TorreDepartment of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Riccardo CiattiVilla Stuart Sport Clinic-FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Rome, Italy. riccardo.ciatti@uniroma5.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-8678-3891
Pier Paolo MarianiDepartment of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients typically follow a 7-9-month return to play (RTP) protocol following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR); however, much of these data have been based on non-elite athletes. The purpose of this study is to understand whether professional soccer players returning to competition < 6-months following ACLR will have an increased risk of graft failure, play fewer seasons postoperatively, and have lower volume of play compared with those returning > 6 months. MATERIALS AND

methodsA total of 180 male professional European soccer players were enrolled and underwent ACLR with a single surgeon between April 2008 and December 2016 and returned to sport < 6 months (early RTP group, n = 92) or > 6 months (standard RTP group, n = 88). Time from intervention to RTP (days), same season returns, total games and average minutes played in return season, seasons played after surgery, and playing status were recorded.

resultsThe early RTP group returned to soccer sooner (142.8 ± 21.4 days) than the standard RTP group (276.2 ± 118.9) (p < 0.01), and more players returned the same season as the injury in the early RTP group (n = 55/92, 62.5%) than the standard RTP group (n = 18/88, 20.5%) (p < 0.01). The difference in average minutes per game in the first season back was not statistically significant (early RTP, 56.7 ± 22.3 min; standard RTP 49.9 ± 29.8 min, p = 0.094). The early RTP group had significantly longer careers following ACLR (5.7 ± 2.2 seasons) than the standard RTP group (4.7 ± 2.4 seasons) (p = 0.005). The early RTP group sustained more reruptures (n = 4, 4.4%) than the standard RTP group (n = 1, 1.1%).

conclusionsProfessional European soccer players returning to competition < 6 months following ACLR did not have poorer outcomes than those who returned > 6 months despite the fact that there were three more failures. However, the early RTP group players were more likely to return during the same season, had longer careers after ACLR, and played a similar number of games and minutes per game, but had more graft failures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective cohort study level IV.

trial registrationRetrospectively registered according to prot. Professionisti_OSS_22.

Indexed as

Anterior Cruciate Ligament InjuriesAnterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionReturn to SportSoccerAdultEuropeHumansMaleRecovery of FunctionRetrospective StudiesTime FactorsYoung AdultACLRFootball (soccer)KneeLigamentsPhysical therapy/rehabilitationReturn-to-play

Identifiers

PMID40353956
PMCPMC12069203

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.