Is there any correlation between a delay in ACL reconstruction and a subsequent failure of said reconstruction?
In most opinions, immediate ACL reconstruction after injury is discouraged and many recommend a delayed reconstruction after appropriate rehabilitation to regain motion and decrease pain and swelling to avoid the risk of arthrofibrosis postoperatively. There have been a few newer studies that have challenged this paradigm. If you are asking about delaying a reconstruction for several months or years and in the interim playing twisting and pivoting sports, then the risk of meniscus/chondral injury increases. This does challenge the potential long-term outcomes of ACL reconstruction. Does the rehabilitation differ with the revision ACL repair from the initial ACL reconstruction? You could argue that going slower may make sense in a revision ACL reconstruction however the principles are the same. Early goals are to regain full extension/hyperextension, regain quadriceps control and strength, obtain full symmetrical range of motion to the other side, and to protect and control weight beari
