Protracted alterations in muscle activation strategies and knee mechanics in patients after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Purpose Altered quadriceps muscle activity can contribute to reduced ability of the muscle to quickly generate force and appropriately attenuate landing forces, exacerbating poor landing and movement strategies commonly seen after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The purpose was to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2020-12, Vol.28 (12), p.3766-3772
Main Authors: Burland, Julie P., Lepley, Adam S., Frechette, Laura, Lepley, Lindsey K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries - surgery
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction - methods
Biomechanical Phenomena
Biomechanics
Bone grafts
Bone surgery
Cohort Studies
Electromyography
Female
Humans
Knee
Knee - physiopathology
Knee - surgery
Knee Joint - surgery
Landing
Ligaments
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Motor skill learning
Movement
Muscle contraction
Muscle function
Muscle Strength
Muscles
Neuromuscular system
Orthopedics
Quadriceps muscle
Quadriceps Muscle - physiopathology
Three dimensional analysis
Three dimensional models
Three dimensional motion
Young Adult
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Summary:Purpose Altered quadriceps muscle activity can contribute to reduced ability of the muscle to quickly generate force and appropriately attenuate landing forces, exacerbating poor landing and movement strategies commonly seen after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The purpose was to evaluate if electromyographic (EMG) activity and knee biomechanics during a single-limb forward hop task are influenced by a history of ACLR. Methods Twenty-six individuals with a history of unilateral ACLR (age 20.2 ± 2.7 years, height 1.7 ± 0.1 m; weight 69.6 ± 12.4 kg; time from surgery, 2.9 ± 2.7 years; graft type, 21 bone-patellar-tendon bone, 5 hamstring) and 8 healthy controls (age 23.3 ± 1.8 years, height 1.7 ± 0.1 m; mass 66.3 ± 13.9 kg) volunteered. Sagittal plane knee kinetics and EMG of the vastus lateralis were synchronized and measured using a three-dimensional motion analysis system during a single-limb forward hop task. Mixed-effect models were used to assess the effect of group on kinetic and EMG variables. Results Kinetic outcomes (peak and rate of knee extension moment) and temporal muscle activity and activation patterns differed between the ACLR limb and healthy-control limb. Inter-limb asymmetries in the ACLR group were observed for all variables except EMG onset time; no limb differences were observed in the healthy cohort. Conclusion Years after ACLR, persistent quadriceps functional deficits are present, contributing to altered neuromuscular control strategies during functional tasks that may increase the risk of reinjury. To counteract these effects, emerging evidence indicates that clinicians could consider the use of motor learning strategies to improve neuromuscular control after ACLR. Level of evidence III.
ISSN:0942-2056
1433-7347
DOI:10.1007/s00167-019-05833-4