Return to Sport in Professional Athletes After Cartilage Restoration Surgery of the Knee: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Demonstrates Gender Inequality and the Need for Improved Reporting.

Objective: To synthesize the literature concerning return to sport (RTS) and related outcomes after cartilage restoration surgery of the knee in professional athletes.

Design: Cochrane, PubMed, and OVID/Medline databases were queried for data pertaining to RTS after knee cartilage surgery in professional athletes. Demographic information, cartilage lesion characteristics, and RTS-specific information were extracted.