Subjective grade of apprehension during the pivot‐shift test reflects patient‐reported outcomes more than conventional pivot‐shift test grade after ACL reconstruction

Abstract

PurposeTo investigate whether the pivot‐shift test reflects patient‐reported outcomes 1 year after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction based on a multicentre prospective cohort study.MethodsThis study included patients who underwent primary ACL reconstruction using the hamstring tendons. The pivot‐shift test grades were determined according to the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form as 0, 1+, 2+ or 3+. In addition, patients' subjective apprehension during the pivot‐shift test were classified as 0 (no‐apprehension), 1+ (mild‐apprehension), 2+ (moderate‐apprehension) or 3+ (severe‐apprehension). In this study, a positive pivot‐shift test was defined as grade 1+ or higher.ResultsA total of 837 patients were enroled in this study. One year postoperatively, there was no significant difference in the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), IKDC score, Lysholm knee scale and Tegner activity scale between the positive (118 patients) and negative (719 patients) groups of the conventional IKDC grading of the pivot‐shift test. However, when divided into two groups based on the apprehension grading of the pivot‐shift test after surgery, the postoperative scores were significantly lower in the apprehension‐positive group (114 patients) than those in the apprehension‐negative group (723 patients) on the Tegner activity scale and KOOS Symptom, Sports/Rec and Quality of Life subscales.ConclusionsPatients' subjective apprehension during the pivot‐shift test after ACL reconstruction was significantly associated with the postoperative Tegner activity scale and three subscales of the KOOS. However, there was no association between the conventional IKDC grading of the pivot‐shift test and any patient‐reported outcomes postoperatively.Level of EvidenceLevel II.