Current perspectives of Australian therapists on rehabilitation and return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A survey

Objectives To investigate views and practices of Australian therapists on rehabilitation and return to sport (RTS) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Design Survey-based study. Setting Online survey platform. Participants Australian Physiotherapists and Accredited Exercise Physiologists (n = 223). Main outcome measures 1) perceived benefit, timing and frequency of rehabilitation, 2) timing of RTS and information on RTS evaluation and discharge criteria. Results Therapists preferred to consult patients for the first time at 1–4 days (27.8%), ≤7 days (25.6%) or 7–14 days (30.5%) post-surgery. Within the first 6 weeks, 82.1% of therapists preferred patient visitation 1–2 times per week. Between 3 and 6 months, therapists mainly recommended less frequent visitation with a focus on home exercises. While 22.0% and 53.8% of therapists were willing to discharge patients for sport at 6–9 and 9–12 months, respectively, 22.9% preferred 12–18 months. Common RTS considerations were functional capacity (98.7%), strength (87.0%), lower limb and trunk mechanics (96.0%) and psychological readiness (87.9%). Knee strength was evaluated via manual muscle testing (33.0%), hand held (26.7%) and isokinetic (11.8%) dynamometry. For functional evaluation, 84.3% of therapists employed a hop battery (≥2 hop tests). Conclusions This survey revealed variation in beliefs and practices surrounding rehabilitation and RTS evaluation in Australian therapists.