The Significance of Bone Bruises Alone or in Combination with Intra-Articular Pathology as an Outcome Predictor After ACL Injury

Greater than 90% of all active NFL players with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction will return to play within the first year after surgery. Unfortunately, it is highly likely that these players will start in significantly less games and their NFL careers, on average, will be shortened by almost 30%.8 Linked to these less than optimal outcomes is the observation that although players regain functional stability of the knee, secondary cartilage degeneration continues unabated after ACL reconstruction.6, 42 Later, many individuals with ACL reconstruction develop disabling early osteoarthritis of the knee decades earlier than commonly seen in uninjured individuals.