Which Outcome Measures Should be Utilized to Determine Readiness to Play After ACL Reconstruction?

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries create problems with a lengthy recovery time, decreased performance, and an increased rate of re-injury. For improvement in the function of the injured knee, affected athletes frequently go through surgical reconstruction and rehabilitation. Determining when an athlete is ready to safely return to play (RTP), however, can be difficult for clinicians. While various outcome measures have been suggested, their ability to predict a safe RTP is questionable.