Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients allocated to the brace-free and brace-based study groups. Values represent means (standard deviations) unless stated otherwise. One patient (with brace) underwent both medial and lateral meniscus resection.
| Characteristics | Brace | Brace-Free | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | n = 58 | n = 56 | |
| Male gender, n (%) | 37 (63.8) | 37 (66.1) | 0.846 * |
| Right knee, n (%) | 28 (48.3) | 26 (46.4) | 0.854 * |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 33.2 (12.3) | 31.5 (10.8) | 0.429 † |
| Body mass index (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 26.0 (3.1) | 25.9 (4.1) | 0.881 † |
| Smoking, n (%) | 12 (20.7) | 17 (30.4) | 0.285 * |
| Interval between injury and surgery (days), mean (SD) | 109.2 (199.5) | 123.4 (257.4) | 0.744 † |
| Cartilage damage | |||
| Medial femoral, n (%) | 11 (19.3) | 12 (21.43) | 0.819 * |
| Lateral femoral, n (%) | 2 (3.51) | 0 (0.00) | 0.496 * |
| Medial tibial, n (%) | 5 (8.77) | 5 (8.93) | 1.000 * |
| Lateral tibial, n (%) | 3 (5.26) | 2 (3.57) | 1.000 * |
| Meniscal lesion | |||
| Meniscus medial | |||
| Lesion, n (%) | 8 (13.79) | 3 (5.36) | |
| Meniscus lateral | |||
| Lesion, n (%) | 4 (6.9) | 5 (8.93) | |
| Meniscus resection during ACLR, n (%) | 11 (19.3) | 8 (14.29) | 0.799 * |
| Meniscus medial, n (%) | 7 (12.07) | 3 (5.36) | 0.322 * |
| Meniscus lateral, n (%) | 4 (6.9) | 5 (8.93) | 0.74 * |
* Fisher’s exact test; † t test, unequal variances. ACLR, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. kg, kilogram. m, meter. SD, standard deviation.