Proprioceptive and behavior impairments in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed knees

Abstract

Bonfim TR, Jansen Paccola CA, Barela JA. Proprioceptive and behavior impairments in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed knees.Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2003;84:1217–23. Objective: To assess sensory deficits and their effects on proprioceptive and motor function in patients who had undergone unilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Design: Four evaluations were conducted: (1) joint position perception of the knee for predetermined angles (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°); (2) threshold for detection of passive knee motion at 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60° moving into flexion and at 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60° moving into extension; (3) latency onset of hamstring muscles; and (4) postural control during upright double- and single-leg stance. Setting: Movement laboratory in Brazil. Participants: Ten participants who had surgical reconstruction of the ACL (reconstructed group) and 10 participants without knee injury (control group). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Absolute error, angular displacement, hamstring muscles latency, and mean sway amplitude. Results: Individuals with a reconstructed knee showed decreased joint position perception, a higher threshold for detection of passive knee motion, longer latency of hamstring muscles, and decreased performance in postural control. Conclusions: After lesion and ACL reconstruction, sensory and motor behavior changes were still observed. This may be because of the lack of proprioceptive information resulting from the ACL lesion and/or substitution of ACL by the graft.