Quality of life in patients after ACL reconstruction with concomitant meniscal injury

Introduction. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries predominantly affect young, physically active, and working-age population. The objective of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction extends beyond restoring knee stability and mechanical function; it also aims to improve the patient?s overall quality of life. Material and Methods. A total of 307 patients diagnosed with anterior cruciate ligament injury were included in the study. This investigation builds upon our previous research, expanding the analysis to a larger patient cohort. Group A consisted of 187 patients with isolated anterior cruciate ligament rupture, while Group B included 120 patients with combined injuries: 70 with inner meniscus injuries, 24 with outer meniscus injuries, and 26 with injuries to both menisci. Results and Discussion. Analysis of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score revealed statistically significant differences across multiple parameters, including pain intensity, activities of daily living, sports and recreational function, and perceived quality of life. In all these domains, patients in Group A achieved better outcomes compared to those in Group B. Female patients demonstrated higher quality-of-life scores related to activities of daily living compared to male patients, which may be attributed to greater postoperative engagement in such activities. Conclusion. Although statistically significant differences were observed in several functional and quality-of-life domains, the overall findings did not demonstrate detectable clear advantage in quality of life for patients with isolated anterior cruciate ligament injuries compared to those with concomitant meniscal lesions following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.