A review and user's guide to measurement of rehabilitation adherence following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Rehabilitation programs are considered essential following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction to maximise the potential outcome of the surgery. Provision of a rehabilitation program, however well intentioned, does not guarantee that patients will adhere to the program. Failure of patients to comply with clinical rehabilitation may limit the effectiveness of the rehabilitation program. Furthermore, failure of subjects to comply with experimental rehabilitation programs may bias results obtained by research studies, limiting the strength of empirical evidence generated. The aim of this paper is to present clinicians and researchers with an overview, particularly with respect to reliability and validity, of a number of adherence measurement instruments that may potentially be administered to patients or subjects following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.