Association of Quality of Life With Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Context: Better knee function is linked to psychological readiness to return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Individuals with ACLR participate in less physical activity than matched uninjured control individuals, yet the association between knee function and physical activity post-ACLR remains unclear.Objective: To determine the associations between (1) patient-reported knee function measured using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Knee-Related Quality of Life (KOOS-QOL), daily steps, and minutes spent in moderate-to -vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of individuals with ACLR and (2) KOOS-QOL and daily steps and MVPA in individuals with ACLR who presented with (ie, symptomatic) or without (ie, asymptomatic) clinically meaningful knee-related symptoms.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Laboratory, free-living conditions.Patients or Other Participants: A total of 66 individuals with primary unilateral ACLR (36 women, 30 men; age = 22 +/- 4 years, height = 1.71 +/- 0.1 m, mass = 71.3 +/- 12.6 kg, body mass index = 24.2 +/- 2.9, time post-ACLR = 28 +/- 33 months).Main Outcome Measure(s): We collected KOOS data and retrospectively stratified participants into those with (symptom-atic group, n = 30) or without (asymptomatic group, n = 36) clinically meaningful knee-related symptoms based on previ-ously defined KOOS cutoffs. We assessed daily steps and MVPA using accelerometers that participants wore on the right hip for 7 days. We conducted linear regressions to determine associations between KOOS-QOL and daily steps and MVPA.Results: In the entire sample, no associations existed between KOOS-QOL and daily steps (DR2 = 0.01, P = .50) or MVPA (DR2 = 0.01, P = .36). In the symptomatic group, a greater KOOS-QOL was associated with more time in MVPA (DR2 = 0.12, P = .05). In the asymptomatic group, no associations were identified between the KOOS-QOL and daily steps and MVPA.Conclusions: Individuals with symptoms post-ACLR who spent more time in MVPA reported higher QOL.

Automated summary

In individuals who have undergone ACL reconstruction, those with symptoms spend more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, which is associated with higher quality of life. However, there is no association between knee function and physical activity in individuals without symptoms post-ACLR.