Rehabilitation results following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using a hard brace compared to a fluid-filled soft brace

73 patients (age range 16-60 yr) scheduled for an ACL reconstruction using the quadrupled hamstring technique were randomized to the use of a soft water filled brace or a hard brace for 6 week during the rehabilitation. At 1 year, it was observed that post-operative fluid-filled braces lead to significantly less swelling and effusion, while providing better ROM than hard braces. Fluid-filled braces also lead to better objective and subjective composite outcome measures when compared to hard-braces.