American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Appropriate Use Criteria: Case Study on Return to Play to Pre-injury Level Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Authors

Richard Ma, From the Sports Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO (Ma), the Corewell Health Orthopedics, Grand Rapids, MI (Hamiliton), the Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Kane), the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC (Gordon), the Department of Orthopaedics Surgery, Vanderbilt Children's Orthopaedics, Antioch, TN (Mooney), the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UC Davis in Sacramento, Sacramento, CA (Herman), and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, and the Uniform Services University, Bethesda, MD (Sheean).
Kendall Hamilton
Shawn Kane
Andrew H. Gordon
Caitlyn Mooney
Daniel Herman
Andrew Sheean

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

4-3-2025

Journal

The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

DOI

10.5435/JAAOS-D-24-01272

Abstract

The decision making surrounding return to play after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries is complex and multifactorial. A successful return to play is dependent on several factors, including the stability of the knee, patient-reported symptoms, and adequacy of rehabilitation of the injured knee. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has developed an appropriate use criteria (AUC) to determine the appropriateness of return to play following an ACL injury. The purpose of this AUC was to determine the appropriateness of clinical practice guideline recommendations for the ACL-injured patient population. This article will highlight the use of the AUC in return-to-play decision making through a case-based approach.

APA Citation

Ma, Richard; Hamilton, Kendall; Kane, Shawn; Gordon, Andrew H.; Mooney, Caitlyn; Herman, Daniel; and Sheean, Andrew, "American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Appropriate Use Criteria: Case Study on Return to Play to Pre-injury Level Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 7100.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/7100

Department

Medicine