Knee function after Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury
With special reference to muscle power, hop performance and kinematics during high-intensity running
Camille Neeter – Department of Orthopaedics – Institute of Clinical Sciences – Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University – Göteborg – Sweden – 2007
Study III – The test batteries from Study I and Study II were used prospectively on 123 patients (75 males and 48 females) with an ACL injury or having undergone ACL reconstruction. The patients were tested at 4, 6, 12 and 24 months after the ACL injury and pre-operatively, 6, 12 and 24 months after ACL reconstruction. Overall, both men and women increased their muscle function over time, but only a minority exhibited normal values for the muscle power test and the hop test batteries at the 24-months follow-ups. Study IV – High-intensity treadmill running kinematics of the lower extremity were analysed during ongoing fatigue in 12 patients, 10 months after ACL reconstruction, and in five healthy subjects. No significant changes were found in terms of lower-extremity kinematics between the first and last measurements of high-intensity running as a result of increasing fatigue, reaching a median value of 17.5 on the Borg scale of perceived exertion. Already at the beginning of the high-intensity running session, the patients had a significantly less internally rotated foot, more internally rotated hip and more extended knee on the involved leg compared with the non-injured leg and controls. The controls’ kinematics remained unaltered during testing.