ACL injuries are incapacitating for both professional and amateur athletes, with long-term repercussions on performance and return to sport (RTS).
Surgical reconstruction of the ACL is the main treatment option. Despite this, recurrence rates are high. Half of all recurrences occur within 8 months of reconstruction, and 70% within the first 6 months after RTS. Decision to RTS is therefore an important one, as returning too early can increase the risk of recurrence, while returning too late delays a return to pre-injury performance levels. As described by the Bern Consensus, RTS consists of three phases :
* Phase 1: Return to participation (RTp)
* Phase 2: Return to sport (RTS)
* Phase 3: Return to performance (RTP)
RTS decision must be based on multiple factors, including psychological, athletic and functional components, as well as specific nature of the patient's activities. However, few individual tests have been associated with a specific level of RTS. Furthermore, the majority of studies rely on subjective and non-objective assessments to determine whether the athlete has returned to their pre-injury level.
It would therefore be relevant to study the RTS time of patients who have performed a combination of several objective functional tests whose results could be complementary, in particular the K-STARTS, the CMJ, the DJ and the measurement of soleus muscle strength.