Instability of the knee joint before and after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament according to the questionnaire

Background: The instability of the knee joint after a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in recent decades has acquired the character of a meme among Russian orthopedists with a very wide use and meaning. Aim: In this study, we tried to find out how often the phenomenon of instability occurs and how it can be associated with joint injury. Methods: The method of questioning, collecting anamnesis in patients at the primary orthopedic appointment and in patients after surgical reconstruction by the method of questioning was used. Results: The data collected in 433 patients with a verified rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament showed that 77% experienced a feeling of instability in the knee joint, and 19% did not experience them at all. Arthroscopic reconstruction was performed in 297 patients, 71 of them were surveyed. The period of time from surgery to questioning was 6.5 years on average. Not all patients can note the moment of injury. Even if there was an injury to the knee joint, 10% of patients do not note the development of instability immediately after injury. The duration of the sensation of instability in the knee joint after injury varies from one week to a year or more. The very moment of joint instability is accompanied by pain in more than half of the cases. At the same time, 12% of the respondents had no pain. A third of the respondents had never noted episodes of instability in the knee joint before surgical reconstruction. But 11% had such episodes daily. In the postoperative period, 27% note the recurrence of joint instability at different times. Conclusions: Thus, an ACL tear does not equal knee instability. Instability is not a condition, but a short-term episode that occurs during the period of support and leads to buckling of the limb.