Functional Outcomes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Lysholm Score Analysis

Background/Aim: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is followed by a prolonged rehabilitation period, and the relative effectiveness of supervised clinical physical therapy versus a structured home exercise program remains clinically relevant. This study evaluated postoperative functional recovery using the Lysholm knee scoring system after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with autologous hamstring grafts and compared outcomes between patients who received supervised clinical physical therapy and those who followed an independent home exercise program.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study conducted from May 2019 through May 2021, 28 male patients with complete anterior cruciate ligament tears underwent arthroscopic single-bundle reconstruction using hamstring autografts, with femoral Endobutton fixation and tibial bioabsorbable interference screw fixation. Mean age was 33.03 (8.53) years (range, 18-56 years). Group 1 (n = 7) received supervised clinical physical therapy three times weekly for 12 weeks, whereas Group 2 (n = 21) followed a structured home exercise program. Lysholm scores were assessed preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months. Between-group comparisons were exploratory and used two-sided Welch t-tests calculated from reported summary statistics. Longitudinal changes were described without inferential testing.