COMPARISON OF OUTCOMES OF ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONCSTRUCTION WITH VERSUS WITHOUT INTERNAL BRACE

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common orthopedic injuries that significantly impair knee function. Although arthroscopic ACL reconstruction is the gold standard treatment, residual rotational instability remains a concern. Recently, internal brace (IB) augmentation has been introduced to enhance mechanical support and improve functional recovery. Objective: To evaluate the functional outcomes of ACL reconstruction with and without internal brace augmentation using the Lysholm knee score at 12 weeks postoperatively. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted over six months at the Department of Orthopedics, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. A total of 72 patients aged 18–60 years with clinically diagnosed ACL tears were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Patients were divided into two equal groups: one underwent ACL reconstruction with internal brace augmentation and the other without. All surgeries were performed by a single arthroscopic surgeon using hamstring tendon autografts. Functional outcomes were assessed using the Lysholm score at 12 weeks postoperatively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, with statistical significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Patients in the internal brace group showed significantly higher Lysholm scores (mean ± SD: 86.4 ± 5.2) compared to those without internal bracing (79.2 ± 6.3) (p < 0.05). A greater proportion of patients in the brace group achieved good to excellent outcomes (77.8%) compared to the non-brace group (55.6%). Stratified analysis confirmed consistent trends across age, gender, BMI, and laterality. Conclusion: ACL reconstruction with internal brace augmentation results in superior early functional outcomes compared to conventional reconstruction. Internal bracing may serve as an effective adjunct for enhancing postoperative recovery and knee stability.