Responsiveness of a Persian version of the international knee documentation committee and the anterior cruciate ligament-quality of life questionnaires in athletes with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction following physiotherapy intervention.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Anterior Cruciate Ligament - Quality of Life Questionnaire (ACL-QOL) are frequently used patient-reported instruments designed for individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R). PURPOSE: To evaluate responsiveness and determine minimal important change (MIC) for the Persian-version of IKDC and ACL-QOL in athletes with ACL-R following physiotherapy intervention. METHOD: One hundred athletes with ACL-R, undergoing 16-week physiotherapy completed IKDC and ACL-QOL at weeks 4 and 20 post ACL-R. Participants also rated their overall changes on a 7-point global rating of change at follow-up. Responsiveness was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve and correlation analysis. In addition, the minimal important change (MIC) was determined on the ROC curve. RESULTS: Acceptable responsiveness was reached by the IKDC and most of the subscales of ACL-QOL (area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.72-0.79). Also, the subscale of Lifestyle issues of ACL-QOL (AUC of 0.81 (95% CI = 0.72-0.89) and the overall of ACL-QOL (AUC of 0.87 (95% CI = 0.80-0.93) showed the good level of responsiveness. The MIC scores of IKDC and the Overall ACL-QOL were determined 25 and 26 points, respectively. CONCLUSION: The IKDC and ACL-QOL questionnaires have adequate responsiveness and are able to measure the change in athletes with ACL-R following a 16-week physiotherapy intervention.