Anterior Cruciate Ligament rupture and Concomitant Injuries

Abstract

Introduction: The association between previous injury and the risk of re-injury has been widely studied, however still there are limited studies about the prevalence and distribution of the injuries associated to rupture of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) mainly focused on people who plays sports for leisure or to improve their quality of life. Objective: To identify the prevalence of concomitant injuries with rupture of ACL and its association with sex, age and practice of sports for leisure. Methods: Cross-sectional study of clinical base. It was analyzed the data of clinical records and demographic information of 807 individuals who underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in a clinic specializing in orthopedics knees in Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil. Results: The prevalence of concomitant injuries with the ACL injury was 57.9%. The meniscus injuries were the main concomitant injuries found. It is observed a trend of concomitant injuries with ACL rupture in males (59.2%) and in individuals who do not practice recreational sports (58.9%). Individuals who had concomitant lesions had higher median age (37%, 95% CI 36-39) compared to individuals diagnosed with isolated ACL rupture. Conclusions: The prevalence of concomitant injuries with the ACL rupture found in this study points to the need of further research about injuries of adjacent structures to ACL.