Development of a return to play checklist following patellar instability surgery: a Delphi‑based consensus

Review written by Sam Blanchard info

Key Points

  1. Both conservative and surgical management of patella instability have a high re-injury rate.
All key points available for members only
Start free trial Icon
Or log in here

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Recurrent patella instability has been reported in 15-50% of those managed conservatively after patella dislocation. Surgical intervention has therefore become the gold standard management, with soft tissue procedures like a medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction and bony procedures such as a tibial tubercle osteotomy. Despite the reliance on surgery, there is a relatively high failure rate of these two procedures - 28% and 17% respectively.

A recent systematic review highlighted a lack of consensus over return to play (RTP) criteria following patella instability surgery. Using the Delphi method, the authors of this paper sought to define an expert-led consensus on a RTP checklist to reduce room for error for clinicians involved in rehabilitation post-surgery.

Recurrent patella instability has been reported in 15-50% of those managed conservatively after patella dislocation.
bulb
This paper offers an objective guide for clinicians (beyond simple time frames) that did not previously exist.

METHODS

The Delphi technique is a process of questionnaires, through a series of iterations, that aims to draw a consensus from a selected panel of experts in a specific field (1). In this study, 19 participants (18 sports medicine surgeons and

Start free trial Icon
to unlock full access to this review and 1109 more
Or log in here
Trustpilot