Comparison of Athletes and Non-Athletes on Meniscal Repair Outcomes: A Retrospective Study

Objective: Menisci play a key role in knee biomechanics and load transfer. Studies on meniscus repair have often been done on professional athletes. This retrospective study clinically and functionally compared athletes and non-athletes on post-meniscal repair health outcomes. Material and Methods: The sample consisted of 49 patients who underwent all-inside meniscal repair between 2018 and 2020 in our clinic. The sample was divided into two groups including athletes (n=22; Group 1) and non-athletes (n=27; Group 2). Demographic characteristics (affected side, gender, and age) were recorded. Data were collected using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Tegner Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale (TLKSS) scores. The 6th-month preoperative (preop) and postoperative (postop) IKDC and TLKSS scores were compared based on the demographic characteristics at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The groups were similar in terms of gender, age, and the affected side. Participants had significantly higher postop IKDC and TLKSS scores than preop scores. There was no significant difference in preop IKDC and TLKSS scores between the groups. However, Group 1 had significantly higher postop IKDC and TLKSS scores than Group 2. Conclusion: Post-meniscal repair physical therapy protocols are closely associated with good surgical outcomes. Observance with physical therapy protocols vary from person to person. Athletes had better surgical outcomes than non-athletes. We think that this is due to the better observance of the athletes with the physical therapy protocols for early return to sports.