RESEARCH & ARTICLES

Is Sport Activity Possible After Arthroscopic Meniscal Allograft Transplantation?

Purpose: To report the rate of return to sport after meniscal allograft transplantation in a population of physically active adults.

Summary:

  • 89 patients ranging from 27 to 49 years in age underwent MAT and were followed-up for a mean of 4.2 + 1.9 years
  • Twenty-five (28%) of patients were participating in sporting activities at a competitive level and the remaining 72% were at a recreational level prior to their injury
  • Post-operatively, sixty-six patients (74%) were able to return to sport but only forty-four (49%) returned to their pre-injury levels
  • Only 1/3 of patients that did not return to sport cited knee pain as the reason, the majority said it was for personal reasons
  • Outcomes in this population did not substantially differ from outcomes reported in less physically active populations

 

Take Away: Although MAT is generally considered a salvage procedure, return to sport was achieved in most of the patients.

Click here to access abstract.

Authors: Stefano Zaffagnini, Alberto Grassi, Giulio Maria Marcheggiani Muccioli, Andrea Benzi, Tommaso Roberti di Sarsina, Cecilia Signorelli, Federico Raggi and Maurilio Marcacci

Published: "Is Sport Activity Possible After Arthroscopic Meniscal Allograft Transplantation?" The American Journal of Sports Medicine. January 6, 2016.

Level of Evidence: IV

Institution: Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy