Background: The tensile force applied to an anterior cruciate ligament graft determines the maximal anterior translation; however, it is unknown whether the tensile force is transferred to the intra-articular portion of the graft and whether the intra-articular tension and maximal anterior translation are maintained shortly after ligament reconstruction.

Methods: Ten cadaveric knees were reconstructed with a double-looped tendon graft. The graft was looped through a femoral fixation transducer that measured the resultant force on the proximal end of the graft. A pneumatic cylinder applied a tensile force of 110 N to the graft exiting the tibial tunnel with the knee in full extension. The graft was fixed sequentially with four tibial fixation devices (a spiked metal washer, double staples, a bioabsorbable interference screw, and a WasherLoc). Three cyclic loading treatments designed to conservatively load the graft and its fixation were applied.

Results: The combined loss in intra-articular graft tension from friction, insertion of the tibial fixation device, and three cyclic loading treatments was 50% for the spiked washer (p = 0.0004), 100% for the double staples (p < 0.0001), 64% for the interference screw (p = 0.0001), and 56% for the WasherLoc (p < 0.0001). The tension loss caused an increase in the maximal anterior translation from that of the intact knee of 2.0 mm for the spiked washer (p = 0.005), 7.8 mm for the double staples (p < 0.0001), 2.7 mm for the interference screw (p = 0.001), and 2.1 mm for the WasherLoc (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: The tensile force applied to a soft-tissue anterior cruciate ligament graft is not transferred intra-articularly and is not maintained during graft fixation. The loss in tension is caused by friction in the tibial tunnel and wrapping the graft around the shank of the screw of the spiked washer, insertion of the tibial fixation device, and cyclical loading of the knee. The amount of tension loss is sufficient to increase the maximal anterior translation.

Clinical Relevance: Surgeons should pay close attention to the technique for inserting the tibial fixation device as this study supports the assumption that this step induces the greatest change and variability in the intra-articular tension and maximal anterior translation in the knee reconstructed with a double-looped tendon graft. Cyclically loading the knee causes a further loss in intra-articular tension and an increase in the maximal anterior translation, which can be reduced by the use of fixation devices that resist lengthening at the site of fixation and by limiting cyclic loading of the knee.