Rate of force development as an adjunctive outcome measure for return-to-sport decisions after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Study Design: Descriptive, prospective, longitudinal single-cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the rate of force development to 30% (RFD(30)), 50% (RFD(50)), and 90% (RFD(90)) of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) as an adjunct outcome measure for determining readiness for return to sport following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Background: One criterion of full recovery following an ACL reconstruction is the ability to achieve 85% or 90% of the maximal strength of the contralateral limb.