Patient Expectations Regarding High-Quality Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Surgery Videos

Abstract

Objective: In orthopedic surgery, while many patients rely on video-based content to understand treatment and recovery processes, there is still a lack of sufficient data on their expectations. This study aimed to evaluate the expectations of patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction concerning preoperative video content available on social media.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 215 patients who underwent isolated ACL reconstruction between 2022 and 2024. A 20-item questionnaire was specifically developed to assess patients' preoperative information-seeking behaviors and their preferences for educational video content. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests.

Results: Of the participants, 61.4% reported watching ACL-related videos before surgery. YouTube was the most frequently used platform (81.4%). The majority (73.1%) preferred videos longer than five minutes, with animation (43.3%) and live surgical recordings (41.4%) being the most favored presentation styles. Postoperative topics such as physical therapy (100%), return to daily activities (92.1%), and nutrition (87.5%) received the highest levels of interest. Analysis by educational level revealed that primary school graduates showed significantly less interest in clinical assessment and complications (p<0.01), while university graduates expressed significantly greater interest in acquiring new skills during recovery (p=0.001).

Conclusion: Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction express a strong need for high-quality, visually engaging, and comprehensive video content-particularly concerning postoperative rehabilitation and return to function. These findings highlight the importance of designing patient-centered social media content that not only explains surgical procedures but also provides guidance on recovery and lifestyle adaptation.

Cite as: Topsakal FE, Şahbat Y, Özdemir E, Altay N, Demirel E. Patient expectations regarding high-quality anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery videos. Turk J Sports Med. 2026; https://doi.org/10.47447/tjsm.0939

The approval for this study was obtained from the Scientific Research Ethics Committee of Sağlık Bilimleri University Erzurum Faculty of Medicine, Erzurum, Türkiye (Decision no: 2025/03-85, Date: 12/03/2025).

Concept: F.E.T; design: Y.Ş, E.Ö; supervision: E.D; materials: N.A, E.D; data collection and/or processing: F.E.T ; analysis and interpretation: F.E.T; literature review: F.E.T, E.Ö; writing manuscript: F.E.T; critical reviews: Y.Ş. All authors contributed to the final version of the manuscript and discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to authorship and/or publication of the article.

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or publication of this article.