Researchers followed 314 patients after ACL reconstruction surgery for an average of three to four years. At the time of the follow-up, 45 percent of the patients were playing sports at their pre-injury level and 29 percent were playing competitive sports. Seven percent of the patients had not attempted sports one year after surgery.
The patients who didn’t participate in sports for one year after surgery were just as likely to return to their pre-injury level by 39 months as were patients who returned to play before the one year mark.
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