The results of an accelerated rehabilitation programme were collected retrospectively from 293 case notes between January 1995 and December 1998. Different grafts were used: bone patellar-tendon bone (BPTB) grafts, hamstrings grafts and allografts. The criteria used to evaluate the knees of these patients were based on patient satisfaction, clinical examination and Cybex evaluation. All 293 patients were followed up for six months or longer. Four to six months after the reconstruction procedure, 94.2% returned to sport activities.

Anterior knee pain seemed not to be a problem when using autogenous BPTB grafts. The rehabilitation programme should decrease the postoperative morbidity.

The main objective of the study was to determine the best method of treatment for adolescents with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Results were collected retrospectively from clinical notes from January 1999 to December 2001, during which time 14 patients were treated. Patient satisfaction, clinical examination and Cybex evaluation were used as criteria. A review of the literature on the subject was also conducted.

The results at four to six-month follow-up showed that 85.6% of the patients returned to active sport participation at the same level, 100% had stable knees on clinical examination, and no patient had any leg-length discrepancy or rotational or angular malalignment.

The ruptured ACL in young adolescents should be reconstructed to prevent re-injury and to decrease the incidence of traumatic degeneration in the unstable knee joint.