This study compared patient outcome during the early rehabilitation phase following two different methods of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction: ligamentum patellae (LP) and semitendinosus/gracilis tendon (SG) based reconstruction. The study included 50 consecutive patients treated by each method, examined 6 weeks and 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. Patients in the SG group showed significantly better Lysholm scores at 6 and 12 months, Tegner Activity Scale scores at 3 months, and pain profile assessments at 6 weeks and 3 months than those in the LP group. Significant advantages were observed in LP group in the Overall Knee Score at 6 weeks and in range-of-motion at 6 weeks and 3 and 6 months post-surgery. Stability tests revealed no significant differences between patients in the two groups. SG-based reconstruction of the ACL thus demonstrates advantages over LP-based reconstruction regarding pain and function, while LP-based reconstruction was associated with an earlier return of motion.