High rates of return to play and work follow knee extensor tendon ruptures but low rate of return to pre-injury level of play

Purpose Extensor mechanism ruptures (EMR) of the knee are rare but debilitating injuries that always require surgery to restore knee function. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature to ascertain the rate of return to play following patellar or quadriceps tendon ruptures. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, using the EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases. Inclusion criteria consisted of clinical studies reporting on return to play after patellar or quadriceps tendon repair. Statistical analysis was performed with the use of SPSS. Results Our review found 48 studies including 1135 cases meeting our inclusion criteria. There were 33 studies including 757 patellar tendon (PT) repairs, and 18 studies including 378 quadriceps tendon (QT) repairs. The overall rate of return to play for PT repairs was 88.9%, with 80.8% returning to the same level of play. The overall rate of return to play for QT repairs was 89.8%, with 70.0% returning to the same level of play. Among professional athletes, the overall rate of return to play after PT repair and QT repair was 76.9% and 70.9%, respectively. Following PT repair, 95.8% were able to return to work, and following QT repair, 95.9% were able to return to work. Conclusion The overall rate of return to play was high following both PT and QT repairs. Moreover, a high percentage of those patients were able to return to their pre-operative level of sport with a low risk for re-rupture.