Trees AH, Howe TE, Grant M, Gray HG
The objective of this review is to present the best evidence for effectiveness of exercise used in the treatment of ACL injuries in combination with collateral ligament and meniscal damage to the knee in adults, on return to work and pre-injury levels of activity. Five trials (243 participants) evaluated different exercise programmes following ACL reconstruction and one trial (100 participants) compared supervised with self-monitored exercises as part of conservative treatment. No study compared the effect of exercise versus no exercise. Insufficient evidence was found to support the efficacy of one exercise intervention over another. The authors conclude that this review has demonstrated an absence of evidence to support one form of exercise intervention over another.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2007, 3, CD005961