RESUMEN
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of athletes' most severe and frequent knee ligament injuries. The primary function of the ACL is preventing excessive anterior tibial translation, and it limits varus/valgus stress when the knee is in full extension and rotatory movements. Returning to sport after an ACL injury is a crucial aim of ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Multiple factors, modifiable and nonmodifiable, can influence the time to return to sport. This study aimed to discuss factors that affect optimal return-to-play (RTP) timing, symptom recurrence, and long-term consequences of an ACL injury. This is a cross-sectional study involving patients who are following in orthopedic surgery outpatient clinics with a history of ACLR at least six months before surgery and not beyond six years after surgery. Participants received a survey about their sociodemographic data, details of the type and site of injury, and ACL return to sport before and after reconstruction scale. Full data description and testing of dependent variables against participant variables using two-sided tests were performed with a significance level of P ≤ 0.05. The study involved 129 participants, of which the majority were male Bisha residents aged 20 to 29 years. The study found that the right leg was the most commonly injured, with the dominant leg being the most frequently reconstructed due to problems with knee function. Before the injury, most participants ran, cut (quick changes of direction during running), decelerated, and pivoted activities four or more times per month. However, physical activities notably reduced after ACLR. Age and body mass index (BMI) showed statistical significance related to the likelihood of returning to physical activities. The study found a significant reduction in the frequency of activities such as cutting, deceleration, and running after ACLR. Age was identified as a predictor affecting the likelihood of returning to the sport, with older patients being less likely to return than younger ones.
RESUMEN
Background: The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late December 2019 created a worldwide emergency. It affected most surgical subspecialties in many ways. Therefore, we aimed to quantitate the early effect of COVID-19 on elective and emergency orthopedic surgeries. Moreover, to identify the most affected orthopedic subspecialties during this crisis. Materials and methods: Our study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. We included all patients who underwent orthopedic procedures from January 1, 2020 - June 30, 2020, with the same period of 2019 for comparison. Emergency procedures were considered if a patient had an acute fracture, joint dislocation, compartment syndrome, infection, and infected non-union. Results: The impact of procedure cancellation in the early COVID-19 phase was significant. Our department procedures decreased in the 2nd quarter of 2020 by 75.6% from the previous quarter of the same year and 61.1% from the 2nd quarter of 2019. No admission restrictions were made for oncology and trauma patients, though they had a reduction in their cases. The most affected subspecialties in our study were sports medicine, upper limb, arthroplasty, and pediatrics. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 crisis, elective surgeries were held in our hospital and most of Saudi Arabia. Our cohort showed a significant decrease during this period. All subspecialties were affected by elective procedure cancellation, but some were affected more because of the elective nature of their operations, such as sports and upper limb, pediatric, and arthroplasty.