Background:Because of the multitude of variables that affect the retirement decisions of professional soccer players, it has proven difficult to isolate the effect of undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) on career longevity.Purpose:To compare the career longevity of professional soccer players after a primary ACLR with that of an uninjured matched control cohort.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:A retrospective review of a consecutive series of primary ACLR was performed between 2008 and 2018 in professional male soccer players from the senior author's practice. Each athlete with ACLR was matched to 3 control athletes who had not undergone ACLR according to age, league, playing position, and preinjury game appearances/minutes played. Player career statistics—including league, game appearances, and game minutes—were compiled for each year until retirement or July 1, 2022.Results:A total of 82 soccer players in the English Premier League or Championship at the time of their primary ACLR were matched to 246 control athletes. The mean career length after ACLR was 6 ± 2.6 years, while that of the matched control athletes was 7.6 ± 2.8 years ( P < .001). After primary ACLR, an athlete had a 2 times greater chance of retirement compared with the matched control athlete (hazard ratio, 2.19; P < .001). At 5 years after ACLR, 16% of athletes had retired from professional soccer, while 8.5% of the matched cohort were retired ( P = .060). By 10 years, 72% of the ACLR cohort had retired compared with 43% of the matched cohort ( P < .001). Forwards were more likely to have shortened careers compared with goalkeepers ( P = .021); however, no significant differences were observed between midfielders, defenders, and forwards. Within the ACLR cohort, a contralateral ACL tear during the athlete's career caused a 2.30 times ( P = .022) increased chance of retirement compared with athletes with only 1 ACL tear during their career. Mechanism of injury, meniscal pathology, graft rerupture, and chondral lesions did not affect career length.Conclusion:Professional male soccer players who underwent ACLR had decreased career length by approximately 1.6 years compared with a matched player cohort.

中文翻译：

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与未受伤对照组相比，初级 ACL 重建对英超和锦标赛足球运动员职业生涯寿命的影响：匹配队列分析

背景：由于影响职业足球运动员退役决定的变量众多，事实证明很难分离出接受前十字韧带 (ACL) 重建 (ACLR) 对职业寿命的影响。目的：比较职业足球运动员的职业寿命研究设计：队列研究；初次 ACLR 后的职业足球运动员与未受伤的匹配对照队列。证据级别，3。方法：对 2008 年至 2018 年间资深作者实践中的职业男子足球运动员进行了一系列连续的原发性 ACLR 的回顾性评价。根据年龄、联赛、比赛位置和受伤前比赛出场次数/分钟数，将每位接受 ACLR 的运动员与 3 名未接受 ACLR 的对照运动员进行匹配。球员职业生涯统计数据（包括联赛、比赛出场时间和比赛时间）每年都会编制，直至退役或 2022 年 7 月 1 日。结果：共有 82 名英超联赛或锦标赛的足球运动员在参加主要 ACLR 时进行了统计与 246 名对照运动员进行匹配。ACLR 后的平均职业生涯长度为 6 ± 2.6 年，而匹配对照运动员的平均职业生涯长度为 7.6 ± 2.8 年 ( P < .001)。初次 ACLR 后，运动员的退役机会是匹配对照运动员的 2 倍（风险比，2.19；P < .001）。ACLR 后 5 年，16% 的运动员从职业足球退役，而匹配队列中的 8.5% 退役 (P = .060)。到 10 年，ACLR 队列中有 72% 的人退休，而匹配队列的这一比例为 43% ( P < .001)。与守门员相比，前锋更有可能缩短职业生涯（P = .021）；然而，中场球员、后卫和前锋之间没有观察到显着差异。在 ACLR 队列中，与职业生涯中仅有 1 次 ACL 撕裂的运动员相比，运动员职业生涯中发生对侧 ACL 撕裂的运动员退役的可能性增加了 2.30 倍 (P = .022)。损伤机制、半月板病理、移植物再破裂和软骨损伤不会影响职业生涯长度。结论：接受 ACLR 的职业男性足球运动员与匹配的球员队列相比，职业生涯长度缩短了约 1.6 年。