Rehabilitation following acute anterior cruciate ligament injuries – a 12‐month follow‐up of a randomized clinical trial

The efficacy of two non‐operative rehabilitation programs was studied in a consecutive randomized controlled clinical trial of 100 patients after 12 months subsequent to an acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Follow up of randomization to two training models was evaluated after 3 and 12 months: A self‐monitored training program (SM) of traditional mobility and muscle strength training of the injured leg was compared to a supervised (SV) training model exercising postural function in closed kinetic‐chains. Nearly 50% of the patients in the SM group required supervision after 6 weeks. An intention‐to‐treat analysis was performed and showed significantly better values in most of the results of the supervised group at 3 and 12 months. An alternative analysis of subgroups showed a significant difference between transferred male patients and original SV male patients at 3 months but not at 12 months, indicating the importance of initial guiding after an ACL injury. No such difference was observed in the female patients.