Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation Research Articles

The Science of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

This review of the literature assessed what is known about the biomechanics of the normal anterior cruciate ligament during rehabilitation exercises, the biomechanical behavior of the anterior cruciate ligament graft during healing, and clinical studies of rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament replacement. After anterior cruciate replacement, immobilization of the knee, or restricted motion without muscle contraction, leads to undesired outcomes for the ligamentous, articular, and muscular structures that surround the joint. It is clear that rehabilitation that incorporates early joint motion is beneficial for reducing pain, minimizing capsular contractions, decreasing scar formation that can limit joint motion, and is beneficial for articular cartilage. There is evidence derived from randomized controlled trials that immediately after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, weightbearing is possible without producing an increase of anterior knee laxity and is beneficial because it lowers the incidence of patellofemoral pain. Rehabilitation with a closed kinetic chain program results in anteroposterior knee laxity values that are closer to normal, and earlier return to normal daily activities, compared with rehabilitation with an open kinetic chain program. This review revealed that more randomized, controlled trials of rehabilitation are needed. These should include the clinicians' and patients' perspective of the outcome, and biomarkers of articular cartilage metabolism.

Voorgestelde praktijkrichtlijnen voor conservatieve voorste kruisbandrevalidatie bij lichamelijk actieve personen

Proposed practice guidelines for nonoperative anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation of physically active individuals [Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 2000;30(4):194-203]

Adherence to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation: A Qualitative Analysis

Objective:To investigate the subjective experience of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation and identify variables that influence adherence as perceived by ACL-reconstructed patients.Design:A qualitative study using in-depth interviews to gather data and thematic coding to analyze findings.Setting:Participants were interviewed at home or in their workplace.Participants:Eleven patients were interviewed at an average of 4.8 months (SD = 0.8) after ACL reconstruction.Results:Using thematic coding of the interview data, 3 categories of variables influencing adherence emerged: environmental factors, physical factors, and psychological factors. Variables specifically affecting adherence to home exercise were perceived lack of time and a lack of self-motivation. Fear of reinjury emerged as a significant consideration for those who were nonadherent. Factors such as therapist support, the rehabilitation clinic, and the progression of exercises were identified as being important for attendance at physiotherapy appointments and adherence during appointments.

WITHDRAWN: Physiotherapist-led programmes and interventions for rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscal injuries of the knee in adults.

Soft-tissue injuries of the knee, mainly involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and menisci, are common and their rehabilitation after non-surgical or surgical treatment often involves intensive and prolonged physiotherapy. To examine the evidence for effectiveness of various physiotherapist-led (or 'directed') rehabilitation programmes, and of various interventions used within these programmes, for rehabilitation of acute or chronic ACL, MCL or meniscal injuries of the knee in adults. We searched the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group's specialised register (to June 2001), MEDLINE (from 1966 to August 1999), EMBASE (from 1980 to February 1997), CINAHL (1982 to April 1999), CURRENT CONTENTS (up to March 1999) and reference lists of relevant articles, and consulted colleagues. Date of the most recent search: June 2001. Randomised or quasi-randomised clinical trials evaluating physiotherapist-led rehabilitation programmes, or components of rehabilitation programmes, for the treatment or post-surgical rehabilitation of ACL, MCL or knee meniscal injuries. Excluded were trials investigating electrical stimulation, or various interventions such as cryotherapy, immobilisation braces and continuous passive motion when used in initial or early treatment. Laboratory based trials reporting intermediate outcomes were also excluded. All trials, judged as fitting the selection criteria by two reviewers, were independently assessed by two reviewers for methodological quality by use of an 11 item checklist. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers. Any disagreement was resolved by discussion. Although quantitative data from most trials are presented, using relative risks or mean differences together with 95 per cent confidence intervals, trial heterogeneity and lack of outcome data prevented meaningful pooling of results from comparable trials. Thirty-one trials, involving 1545 mainly young and male patients, met the inclusion criteria of the review. Methodological quality was highly variable: allocation concealment and / or assessor blinding were rare, and assessment of outcome was often incomplete and short-term. ACL injury and /or deficiency was the main focus of 18 trials, MCL injury of two trials, meniscal injury of nine trials and a mixture of soft-tissue injuries in the other two trials. The trial comparisons fell into five main categories: rehabilitation programme versus control (6 trials); one rehabilitation programme versus another (6 trials); different timing of rehabilitation (4 trials); one component of a programme versus another (6 trials); supplementary interventions to a programme versus none (9 trials). No trial provided sufficient evidence to establish the relative effectiveness of the intervention(s) under investigation. The available evidence for physiotherapist-led rehabilitation of ACL, MCL and meniscal injuries is wide ranging in terms of scope but insufficient to establish the relative effectiveness of the various approaches and methods in current use. There is a need for further research involving good quality, large scale randomised trials with sufficiently long follow-up to fully assess knee function and recovery.

Rehabilitation Issues in Women With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficiency

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) noncontact injuries occur more frequently in female than in male athletes. Many studies investigated possible predisposing factors such as joint laxity, hormonal influences, lower limb alignment, notch shape and dimension, ligament size, and neuromuscular control. To our knowledge, there are no ACL rehabilitation protocols especially studied for women. Our approach is a time-based and criterion-based progressive rehabilitation protocol, with preoperative, early, and late postoperative phases. Preinjury, preoperative, and postoperative biomechanical quantitative evaluations are used to monitor rehabilitation. Sport-specific epidemiologic observation of noncontact ACL injury mechanism can help in identifying movements and situations that pose a risk to the ACL. These data can be used to modify training and to prevent injuries and re-injuries. In our opinion, it is not necessary to have a gender-specific rehabilitation protocol, but it is necessary to have better sport-specific neuromuscular conditioning, which should include plyometrics, postural balance, and functional agility exercise protocols.

Physiotherapist-led programmes and interventions for rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscal injuries of the knee in adults.

Soft-tissue injuries of the knee, mainly involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and menisci, are common and their rehabilitation after non-surgical or surgical treatment often involves intensive and prolonged physiotherapy. To examine the evidence for effectiveness of various physiotherapist-led (or 'directed') rehabilitation programmes, and of various interventions used within these programmes, for rehabilitation of acute or chronic ACL, MCL or meniscal injuries of the knee in adults. We searched the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group's specialised register (to June 2001), MEDLINE (from 1966 to August 1999), EMBASE (from 1980 to February 1997), CINAHL (1982 to April 1999), CURRENT CONTENTS (up to March 1999) and reference lists of relevant articles, and consulted colleagues. Date of the most recent search: June 2001. Randomised or quasi-randomised clinical trials evaluating physiotherapist-led rehabilitation programmes, or components of rehabilitation programmes, for the treatment or post-surgical rehabilitation of ACL, MCL or knee meniscal injuries. Excluded were trials investigating electrical stimulation, or various interventions such as cryotherapy, immobilisation braces and continuous passive motion when used in initial or early treatment. Laboratory based trials reporting intermediate outcomes were also excluded. All trials, judged as fitting the selection criteria by two reviewers, were independently assessed by two reviewers for methodological quality by use of an 11 item checklist. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers. Any disagreement was resolved by discussion. Although quantitative data from most trials are presented, using relative risks or mean differences together with 95 per cent confidence intervals, trial heterogeneity and lack of outcome data prevented meaningful pooling of results from comparable trials. Thirty-one trials, involving 1545 mainly young and male patients, met the inclusion criteria of the review. Methodological quality was highly variable: allocation concealment and / or assessor blinding were rare, and assessment of outcome was often incomplete and short-term. ACL injury and /or deficiency was the main focus of 18 trials, MCL injury of two trials, meniscal injury of nine trials and a mixture of soft-tissue injuries in the other two trials. The trial comparisons fell into five main categories: rehabilitation programme versus control (6 trials); one rehabilitation programme versus another (6 trials); different timing of rehabilitation (4 trials); one component of a programme versus another (6 trials); supplementary interventions to a programme versus none (9 trials). No trial provided sufficient evidence to establish the relative effectiveness of the intervention(s) under investigation. The available evidence for physiotherapist-led rehabilitation of ACL, MCL and meniscal injuries is wide ranging in terms of scope but insufficient to establish the relative effectiveness of the various approaches and methods in current use. There is a need for further research involving good quality, large scale randomised trials with sufficiently long follow-up to fully assess knee function and recovery.

De effectiviteit van balansverstoringstraining in niet-operatieve voorste-kruisbandrevalidatieprogramma's bij fysiek actieve personen

The efficacy of perturbation training in nonoperative anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation programs for physically active individuals [Physical Therapy 2000;80(2):128-52]

The gastrocnemius muscle is an antagonist of the anterior cruciate ligament

Since the proximal tendon of the gastrocnemius muscle wraps around the posterior aspect of the tibia, its contraction could potentially strain the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) by pushing the tibia anteriorly. However, the relationship between contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle and ACL strain has not been studied in vivo. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the ACL strain response due to isolated contractions of the gastrocnemius muscle and to determine how these strains are affected by co-contraction with the hamstrings and quadriceps muscles. Six subjects with normal ACLs participated in the study; they underwent spinal anesthesia to ensure that their leg musculature was relaxed. Transcutaneous electrical muscle stimulation (TEMS) was used to induce contractions of the gastrocnemius, quadriceps and hamstrings muscles while the strains in the anteromedial bundle of the ACL were measured using a differential variable reluctance transducer. The ACL strain values produced by contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle were dependent on the magnitude of the ankle torque and knee flexion angle. Strains of 2.8% and 3.5% were produced at 5° and 15° of knee flexion, respectively. The ACL was not strained at 30° and 45°. Changes in ankle angle did not significantly affect these strain values. Co-contraction of the gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles produced ACL strain values that were greater than those produced by isolated activation of either muscle group when the knee was at 15° and 30°. Co-contraction of the gastrocnemius and hamstrings muscles produced strains that were higher than those produced by the isolated contraction of the hamstrings muscles. At 15° and 30° of knee flexion, the co-contraction strain values were less than those produced by stimulation of the gastrocnemius muscle alone. This study verified that the gastrocnemius muscle is an antagonist of the ACL. Since the gastrocnemius is a flexor of the knee, this finding may have important clinical ramifications in ACL rehabilitation since flexor torques are generally thought to be protective of a healing ACL graft.

Quadriceps protects the anterior cruciate ligament

The aim of this study is to show that the quadriceps is the primary muscular restraint to anterior tibial translation during closed kinetic chain activities such as running, jumping, walking, and standing. It is my hypothesis that the quadriceps vector is directed superiorly during open kinetic chain knee extension and inferiorly during closed kinetic chain knee extension. My methods involve vector analysis based on a lateral radiograph of the normal human knee and muscle ultrasound. My results show that the quadriceps vector is directed superiorly for open kinetic chain knee extension and inferiorly for closed kinetic chain knee extension. The inferiorly directed quadriceps vector has an anterior femoral–tibial or posterior tibial–femoral component, which protects the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from anterior tibial–femoral shear. Therefore during closed kinetic chain activities, the quadriceps protects the ACL regardless of the activity of the hamstrings. Given that the quadriceps is much stronger than the hamstrings, has better leverage at low knee flexion angles, and a favorable vector with regard to the ACL during closed kinetic chain activities, and since most activities of daily living, sports, and non-contact ACL injuries occur with the foot on the ground, then it can be concluded that the quadriceps is the primary ACL protagonist. My findings have the following implications: (1) weak quadriceps are a risk factor for non-contact ACL injuries, (2) strong quadriceps are important for ACL injury prevention and rehabilitation, and (3) preservation of quadriceps strength is an important surgical goal.

Anterior cruciate ligament rupture: reconstruction surgery and rehabilitation.: A nation-wide survey of current practice

A database of the current practice of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery in Great Britain was collated from a postal survey. This survey revealed that clear trends are emerging in the United Kingdom (UK) with regard to ACL reconstruction surgery (such as the type of graft used and timing of surgery) and rehabilitation. Certain issues, however, remain controversial, including bracing and knee range of movement. Clinical outcome measures are consistently used to judge operative success, but few specialists use defined objective measurements such as the IKDC scoring system.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation: Exploring physiotherapists' attitudes

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation: Exploring physiotherapists' attitudes

Outcomes and Aging

To the Editor: I am writing to you regarding the report on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation by Fitzgerald et al and your subsequent discussion with Mark DeCarlo, James Irrgang, and Kevin Wilk in the February 2000 issue of the Journal. I read the report with great interest that is not only clinical in origin but also personal in origin, about which I will explain shortly. I have reason to suspect that the long-term outcome of the “successful” participants of the study may not be as positive as the short-term outcome. This suspicion is based on my personal experience and leads me to wonder about the status of the patients who participated in the nonoperative ACL rehabilitation programs as they age. I am a physical therapist currently practicing in an outpatient clinic with a mixed patient population in terms of ages and diagnoses. I will tell you a succinct version of my own story in chronological order, as it is easier to explain. I played soccer competitively beginning in junior high school and throughout high school and college. At the beginning of my sophomore year of college (early in the fall soccer season), I tripped one night over a ball and tore my ACL. At the time, I had moderate swelling and pain that lasted 2 …

The Efficacy of Perturbation Training in Nonoperative Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation Programs for Physically Active Individuals

Treatment techniques involving perturbations of support surfaces may induce compensatory muscle activity that could improve knee stability and increase the likelihood of returning patients to high-level physical activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of augmenting standard nonoperative anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation programs with a perturbation training program. Twenty-six patients with acute ACL injury or ruptures of ACL grafts participated in the study. Subjects had to have a unilateral ACL injury, be free of concomitant multiple ligament or meniscal damage requiring surgical repair, and pass a screening examination designed to identify patients who had the potential to return to high-level physical activity with nonoperative treatments. Subjects also had to be regular participants in level I activities (eg, soccer, football, basketball) or level II activities (eg, racquet sports, skiing, construction work). Subjects were randomly assigned to either a group that received a standard rehabilitation program (standard group) or a group that received the standard program augmented with a perturbation training program (perturbation group). Treatment outcome was determined from scores on the Knee Outcome Survey's Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADLS) and Sports Activity Scale, a global rating of knee function, scores on a series of single-limb hop tests, measurements of maximum isometric quadriceps femoris muscle force output, and the group frequency of unsuccessful rehabilitation. Unsuccessful rehabilitation was defined as the occurrence of an episode of giving way of the knee or failure to maintain the functional status of a rehabilitation candidate on retesting. More subjects had unsuccessful rehabilitation in the standard group compared with the perturbation group. There was a within-group x time interaction for the ADLS, global rating of knee function, and crossover hop test scores. These scores decreased from posttraining to the 6-month follow-up for the standard group. Although both the standard program and the perturbation training program may allow subjects to return to high-level physical activity, the perturbation training program appears to reduce the risk of continued episodes of giving way of the knee during athletic participation and allows subjects to maintain their functional status for longer periods.

Biomechanics of the ACL: Measurements of in situ force in the ACL and knee kinematics

Injury of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can lead to knee instability associated with damage to other knee structures and the increased risk of degenerative joint disease. This has led to the frequent use of intra-articular tissue grafts for ACL reconstruction in an attempt to restore normal knee function. Despite moderate success, the continued failure of ACL reconstruction to restore normal knee kinematics has led many investigators to study the role played by the ACL in normal knee motion. At our research center, we have focused on the development of a new and innovative approach to measure multiple degree of freedom (DOF) knee kinematics and to determine the in situ forces within the ACL. A unique testing system utilizing a 6-DOF robotic manipulator and universal force–moment sensor (UFS) has been developed such that these measurements can be made in a non-contact fashion while allowing a series of experiments to be performed on the same knee. In this manuscript, we will describe the functional and mathematical development of the robotic/UFS system and its use in a series of studies designed to give insight into the function of the ACL and ACL grafts. Our first study investigated the effect of constrained vs. unconstrained knee motion on anterior tibial translation and on the in situ force in the ACL. We found that unconstrained multiple-DOF knee motion significantly increased anterior tibial translation. While the magnitude of the in situ force remained similar to the more constrained condition, its direction, point of application and distribution between the anteromedial (AM) and posterolateral (PL) bundles were found to significantly change. These findings led us to investigate the effect of knee flexion angle and magnitude of anterior applied tibial load on the in situ force in the ACL and its bundles during unconstrained knee motion. We found the PL bundle of the human ACL to carry a greater proportion of the in situ force than the AM bundle near knee extension. Also, the change in magnitude of the in situ force in the PL bundle with changing knee flexion angle was similar to that of the entire ACL. This led us to conclude that the PL bundle must play a significant role in ACL function and in resisting anterior tibial load and that it should receive more serious consideration during ACL reconstruction. Lastly, we used our new testing system to examine two popular ACL reconstruction techniques: bone–patellar tendon–bone (BPTB) and quadruple semitendinosus/gracilis hamstring (QST/G) grafts. We compared them in terms of restoration of anterior tibial translation and reproduction of the in situ force in the intact ACL. Each reconstruction was performed on the same knee, allowing us to minimize interspecimen variability and take advantage of paired statistical analysis. We found that while both reconstructions effectively reduced anterior tibial translation secondary to anterior tibial loading to a level not significantly different from the ACL intact knee, use of a QST/G graft may be advantageous, as it reproduced the in situ forces of the intact ACL more closely. This series of three studies has garnered quantitative data to further our understanding of how the ACL functions and has yielded new concepts to help improve ACL reconstruction. Through the use of a robotic manipulator, our testing system has the capability to reproduce complex physiologic loading conditions that allow us to evaluate the efficacy of various ACL reconstruction techniques and rehabilitation protocols in the same knee. In the future, we intend to acquire in vivo kinematic data of the knee secondary to various functional and sporting activities and reproduce them using our robotic/UFS system such that in vivo in situ forces can be indirectly determined. We believe that such studies will provide a basis for the advancement of ACL reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Anterior cruciate ligament surgery, rehabilitation, and braces

Anterior cruciate ligament surgery, rehabilitation, and braces

Hamstring Contraction Latency Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation

Hamstring Contraction Latency Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation

Resistance Strength Training in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

Resistance Strength Training in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

Current Protocols and Procedures for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Rehabilitation

In an attempt to quantify the current standards in surgical procedures and rehabilitation protocols utilized to treat patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-deficient knees, a 19-question survey was sent to members of the Hawaii Orthopedic Association. The findings indicated that only 54% (30/56) of the respondents were performing ACL reconstructions, of which 87% (26/30) were performing an intra-articular procedure and none were performing extra-articular procedures exclusively. The findings further indicate that 80% (24/30) of the 30 respondents performing ACL reconstructions were using an arthroscopically assisted, bone-tendon-bone autograft procedure. However, in marked contrast to the uniformity that existed concerning the surgical procedure, there was a drastic difference in the rehabilitation protocols and procedures that were recommended postoperatively. The most apparent differences in rehabilitation protocols existed in the utilization and initiation of open versus closed type kinetic chain exercises and activities.

Modern Trends In Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation: Nonoperative And Postoperative Management

Rehabilitation following ACL injury or reconstruction should be based on sound scientific and rehabilitation principles. Basic science principles related to rehabilitation following ACL injury and reconstruction have been reviewed. Guidelines incorporating these basic science principles as well as clinical experience were presented for rehabilitation following ACL injury and reconstruction.

Hamstrings--an anterior cruciate ligament protagonist. An in vitro study.

A cadaveric model that incorporated quadriceps and hamstrings muscle loads was developed to simulate the squat exercise. The addition of hamstrings load affected knee kinematics in two ways. First, anterior tibial translation during flexion ("femoral roll-back") was significantly reduced (P = 0.003) and second, internal tibial rotation during flexion was reduced (P = 0.008). However, quadriceps force was unaffected by the addition of hamstrings load. Thus, it seems likely that hamstrings muscle activity that has been observed in vivo during a squat probably functions synergistically with the anterior cruciate ligament to provide anterior knee stability. After the ACL was sectioned, anterior tibial translation was significantly increased during the squat (P = 0.04). The anterior cruciate ligament was then reconstructed using a graft instrumented with a load cell. During passive motion, maximal graft tension was at full extension. During simulated squat exercise, the addition of hamstrings caused a significant decrease in graft load (P = 0.006). During the squat, maximal graft tension was at full extension, and was equal to the graft tension at full passive extension. Thus, the squat exercise may be useful in the early stages of anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation.