Editorial Commentary: It Takes Two to Tango: The Shared Decision of Return to Sport After Meniscal Transplantation

Grassi, Alberto; Zaffagnini, Stefano

Despite its overall good results, meniscal allograft transplantation is considered a salvage procedure, and abstention from sport practice is considered a valid solution to preserve the transplanted meniscus as long as possible. However, many patients want to return to sport, and this is often beneficial for them. Therefore, we should know how meniscal allograft transplantation performs in terms of return to sport to better counsel our patients. It is thus of primary importance to discuss general and sport-related expectations with each patient, whom should be informed of the potential short- and long-term risks of strenuous or light sport activities. In particular, the high risk of reoperation, the long recovery time, and the potentially deleterious effect of sporting activity on graft survival should be quite clear to both surgeons and patients because, when it comes to return-to-sport decisions, “It takes two to tango”!