Return to Work Outcomes After Common Sports-Related Orthopaedic Procedures: A Systematic Review Stratified by Occupational Intensity and Workers' Compensation Status.

In 30 seconds

This systematic review (Level of evidence, 4) synthesized full-duty return-to-work (RTW) outcomes in civilian populations after seven common sports-related orthopaedic procedures. Across 87 studies, pooled full-duty RTW rates exceeded 90% after meniscectomy, meniscal repair, ACL reconstruction, and distal biceps repair, while rates after biceps tenodesis, rotator cuff repair, and hip arthroscopy ranged from 74.2% to 76.7%. Median time to RTW ranged from 33 days after meniscectomy to 185 days after rotator cuff repair. Workers’ compensation status and higher occupational intensity were associated with longer RTW timelines.

Key findings

• Pooled full-duty RTW rates exceeded 90% after meniscectomy, meniscal repair, ACL reconstruction, and distal biceps repair.
• Rates after biceps tenodesis, rotator cuff repair, and hip arthroscopy ranged from 74.2% to 76.7%.
• Median RTW time ranged from 33 days after meniscectomy to 185 days after rotator cuff repair.
• Workers’ compensation cohorts and higher occupational intensity were associated with prolonged RTW timelines.

Why it matters

Full-duty RTW is a meaningful outcome that may differ from general recovery or resumption of activity. These procedure-specific estimates and observed associations with occupational demands and workers’ compensation status can help frame expectations, while highlighting that work context matters when interpreting recovery timelines. The review also identifies inconsistent reporting as a barrier to comparing outcomes across procedures and studies.

What to keep in mind

The review reports heterogeneous study-level data and analyzes occupational intensity and workers’ compensation outcomes descriptively when separately available; pooled estimates may therefore not be comparable across procedures.