Career Length and Injury Incidence After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Major League Soccer Players

Abstract

Background: Little is known about career length after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top men’s professional soccer league in the United States. Further, it is unspecified whether athletes returning to soccer after ACL reconstruction are at a higher risk for injuries, beyond new knee injuries. Purpose: To examine career length and the incidence of lower extremity injuries in MLS athletes after ACL reconstruction in comparison with age-matched controls. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Injuries and athletic exposures (AEs; games and training sessions) were recorded in the HealtheAthlete database, the injury surveillance system of MLS. All athletes who had undergone ACL reconstruction and returned to MLS were identified and age-matched with controls. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to compare career length and percentage of regular/postseason games that athletes started, substituted, or did not play. Generalized linear model regressions were used to examine the injury risk. Results: Athletes in the ACL group had shorter careers (1.3 ± 1.3 years) than those in the control group (2.5 ± 1.3 years) (P