Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using hamstring tendon graft without detachment of the tibial insertion

Introduction: We report results of the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using a four-strand hamstring graft without detachment of the tibial insertion of the tendons. Material and Methods: In 74 patients the hamstring graft was fixed using an endobutton on the femoral side and a barbed staple on the tibial side. There were 69 male and 5 female patients. The mean age at the time of operation was 35.1 years (21–53 years). Postoperatively, an accelerated rehabilitation was followed with no protective braces. The mean follow-up period was 64 months (range 48 to 84 months). Results: All patients achieved full range of motion with a stable knee joint. The mean side-to-side difference using KT-1000 was 1.43 mm (SD 3.86). The average Lysholm score improved from 42 to 79.2 and the Tegner score improved from 3.4 to 5.9. Conclusion: Detachment of hamstring tendons from their tibial insertion is unnecessary and our results with accelerated rehabilitation without protective braces are satisfactory and comparable to other studies.