Good functional outcomes in patient’s age > 40 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with hamstring tendon graft: a retrospective study

Many surgeons are still hesitant to do arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL) in patients above 40 years old. The effect of ACL reconstruction on functional outcomes in patients above 40 years of age. Patients of age > 40 years who underwent ACL reconstruction were enrolled in the study. Functional outcomes (Lysholm, WOMAC score, and Tegner activity scale), pain (VAS score), and knee stability (KT-1000) were assessed at final follow-up and compared with pre-operative scores. All patients were followed up for a minimum of 2 years. A total of 112 patients were included in the study. Eighty-eight were males and 24 were females. The mean age at the time of surgery was 44.8 ± 5.6 years (40–63 years). The mean Lysholm score was improved from 64.1 ± 11.7 to 87.2 ± 5.9 (p = 0.0001). Similarly, the WOMAC score was also improved from 8.8 ± 6.9 to 2.3 ± 1.9 (p = 0.0001). The mean side-to-side difference (KT-1000) also improved from 6.65 ± 2.25 mm to 2.32 ± 1.45 mm (p = 0.0001). More than 70% of the patients had excellent or good outcomes. Median pre-injury Tegner activity scale was 5 (3–8) and the median post-ACLR Tegner activity scale was 5 (3–7; p = 1). ACL reconstruction in patients > 40 years of age results in good functional outcomes and knee stability.