A systematic review including 15 studies with a total of 206 subjects was abstracted in DARE. 132 were treated surgically and 74 were treated non-operatively. The average range of motion was 123 degrees in the surgical group and 108 degrees in the non-operative group (p <0.001). Flexion contraction averaged 0.54 degrees for the surgical group and 3.5 degrees for the non-operative group (p <0.05). A significant difference (p <0.001) was also found in Lysholm score, with mean values of 85.2 and 66.5 in the surgical and non-operative groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in the ability to return to pre-injury levels of employment or athletic ability, or in the amount of instability between the two groups.
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by review quality (limited literature search, unfocused review question, the validity of the included studies was not assessed).