Return to Play and Long-Term Participation Following ACL Reconstruction in Elite Handball Players

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: The consequences of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury and subsequent reconstruction in handball players are understudied. The aim of the present study is to present the effects of ACL reconstruction exclusively on handball players regarding return to play. Methods: Fourteen knees with an ACL tear in twelve patients were included in the study. Nine injuries ( ) occurred during games, and five ( during training. The mechanism of injury was non-contact in of cases. All cases were treated with a hamstrings autograft. Results: The athletes returned to unrestricted full team training in a mean of 7.7 months. Return to competitive play was achieved in twelve of the fourteen cases ( in a mean time of 9.6 months post-operatively. Nine of the athletes that returned to play ( ) reached the same level of competition as before injury. At a mean follow-up of 37.1 months post-operatively, of the players included in the study and of those that returned to play were still active players; all playing at their pre-injury competition level. There was one recurrence of an ACL tear ( , while two athletes ( had a contralateral ACL rupture during the follow-up period. All athletes - including the ones that quitted - had excellent knee scores at the latest follow-up. IKDC mean score was 94.7 Lysholm mean score was 95 EuroQoL mean score was 100, and KOOS mean score was 97.3. Conclusions: A high proportion of elite handball players can return to play following ACL reconstruction with a low rate of recurrence. However, not all players can stay in the sport for long and this should be kept in mind when an ACL tear occurs.