Early effect of internal stabilization technique on the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Du Shuyuan; Li Bao; Wang Haofei; Liu Xinwei; Liu Songbo

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1009-4237.2025.08.008

Abstract：Objective To investigate the effect of internal stabilization technique on early functional recov-ery of anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)injuries after reconstruction.Methods A retrospective analysis was per-formed on 65 cases of ACL sports injuries that received reconstruction at the Department of Orthopaedics,General Hospital of the Northern Theater Command from Mar.2020 to Mar.2022.Patients were divided into control group with autologous tendon graft(n=39)and internal support group(internal stabilization technique was additionally performed based on autologous tendon graft,n=26).All the patients were males aged 18-34 years,with an average age of 24.7 years,due to high-intensity sports or training.The follow-up period ranged from 12 to 14 months,mean 12.6 months.Postoperative complications were recorded and Lysholm knee function scores,International Knee Doc-umentation Committee(IKDC)scores,and Tegner activity scale(TAS)scores were used to evaluate the outcomes.Results During the perioperative period,no neurovascular injuries,infection,venous thrombosis or other complica-tions were observed in both groups,with significantly improved knee joint function after surgery(both P＜0.05 com-pared to that before surgery).At postoperative 3 months,the internal support group showed much better scores than the control group,i.e.,Lysholm score:62.4±4.9 vs.58.7±3.9,IKDC score:65.0±4.8 vs.61.6±6.6,and Tegn-er score:4.9±0.6 vs.4.3±0.4,all P＜0.05,but all the scores showed no significant difference at 12 months(all P＞0.05).Conclusion As an auxiliary technology to improve the strength of grafts,the internal stabilization tech-nique can help patients quickly recover motor function and then improve the knee joint function in the early stage,and thus is worth promoting.