@Article{Niederer2025,
journal="Biology of Sport",
issn="0860-021X",
volume="42",
number="2",
year="2025",
title="Late-stage rehabilitation effects do not differ between quadriceps 
and hamstring tendon autograft after anterior cruciate ligament 
reconstruction: a multicentre propensity score-matched
case-control intervention trial",
abstract="Late-stage rehabilitation interventions after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction  are under-researched, inter alia regarding potential differences in rehabilitation effects between autograft types. This study determined the effectiveness of a specific, late-stage rehabilitation to usualcare after ACLreconstructions in patients with a quadriceps versus such with a hamstring tendon autograft. In this multicentre case-control intervention study, participants aged 18–35 years were included at the end of their formal rehabilitation (mean 8.1 months) after ACL reconstruction. Twenty-four cases with an arthroscopically assisted, anatomic ipsilateral quadriceps femoris tendon autograft and two numerically equal hamstring tendon reconstructed propensity score-matched groups were compared. Matching variables were gender, age, Tegner activity scale, plus, once, the time since reconstruction and once the functional capacity at intervention onset. All participants performed a 5-month performance enhancing intervention. All outcomes were measured once a month. Self reported outcomes such as knee function (The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Sport as the main self-reported outcome) were followed by a series of hop and jump tests. The front hops for distance (outcome: hopping distance) was the primary outcomes of the study. Linear mixed models were calculated using change scores. All participants were analysed. No group*time interaction effect could be identified in the two main outcomes KOOS SPORT and front hop for distance. Furthermore, with the exception of the self-reported all-day function, no outcome displayed any between-group differences in the trainability, either. The return-to-sport success took a mean time of 3.8 months after study commencement; the success rates ranged between 80% and 83% and were not different between groups. Being  with a hamstrings or with a quadriceps tendon autograft had no impact on the late-stage rehabilitation effects after an ACL rupture. Both graft choices enable comparably favourable functional outcomes and return-to-sport success rates. Conversely, no recommendation can be derived with regard to the selection of either a hamstring or a quadriceps autograft type. The decision must be undertaken individually and based on other factors.",
author="Niederer, Daniel
and Keller, Matthias
and Petersen, Wolf
and Mengis, Natalie
and Eberle, Christian
and Guenther, Daniel
and Brandl, Georg
and Drews, Björn H.
and Engeroff, Tobias
and Vogt, Lutz
and Groneberg, David A.
and Stein, Thomas",
pages="135--149",
doi="10.5114/biolsport.2025.142647",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.142647"
}