| 1. |
- Liebermann, Dario G., et al.
(author)
-
Spatiotemporal lower-limb asymmetries during stair descent in athletes following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
- 2024
-
In: Journal of Electromyography & Kinesiology. - : Elsevier. - 1050-6411 .- 1873-5711. ; 75
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: This study evaluated motor control recovery at different times following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) by investigating lower-limb spatiotemporal symmetry during stair descent performances.Methods: We used a cross-sectional design to compare asymptomatic athletes (Controls, n = 18) with a group of people with ACLR (n = 49) divided into three time-from-ACLR subgroups (Early: <6 months, n = 17; Mid: 6–18 months, n = 16; Late: ≥18 months, n = 16). We evaluated: “temporal symmetry” during the stance subphases (single-support, first and second double-support) and “spatial symmetry” for hip-knee-ankle intra-joint angular displacements during the stance phase using a dissimilarity index applied on superimposed 3D phase plots.Results: We found significant between-group differences in temporal variables (p ≤ 0.001). Compared to Controls, both Early and Mid (p ≤ 0.05) showed asymmetry in the first double-support time (longer for their injured vs. non-injured leg), while Early generally also showed longer durations in all other phases, regardless of stepping leg. No statistically significant differences were found for spatial intra-joint symmetry between groups.Conclusion: Temporal but not spatial asymmetry in stair descent is often present early after ACLR; it may remain for up to 18 months and may underlie subtle intra- and inter-joint compensations. Spatial asymmetry may need further exploration.
|
|
| 2. |
- Markström, Jonas, 1985-, et al.
(author)
-
Strategies for knee stabilising and pivot-shift avoidance in a step-down and cross-over task observed sub-acutely after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
- 2024
-
In: Clinical Biomechanics. - : Elsevier. - 0268-0033 .- 1879-1271. ; 115
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Individuals with a recent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction may demonstrate an altered movement strategy for protecting the knee and maintaining stability. Altered knee movement might lead to abnormal intra-articular load, potentially contributing to early knee osteoarthritis onset. A protective strategy may be particularly evident during active tasks that induce a pivot-shift manoeuvre, such as a step-down and cross-over task. In this study, we investigated whether knee joint mechanics and muscle activity differed between participants early (∼3 months) following reconstruction (n = 35) to uninjured controls (n = 35) during a step-down and cross-over task with a 45° change-of-direction.Methods: We used motion capture, force plates and surface electromyography to compare time-normalised curves of sagittal and transverse-plane knee mechanics and muscle activity during the cross-over phase between groups using functional t-tests. We also compared knee mechanics between sides within the injured group and compared discrete outcomes describing the cross-over phase between groups.Findings: Compared to controls, the injured participants had greater knee flexion angle and moment, lower internal rotation moment, more preparatory foot rotation of the pivoting leg, a smaller cross-over angle, and a longer cross-over phase for both the injured and uninjured sides. The injured leg also had greater biceps femoris and vastus medialis muscle activity compared to controls and different knee mechanics than the uninjured leg.Interpretation: Individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction showed a knee-stabilising and pivot-shift avoidance strategy for both legs early in rehabilitation. These results may reflect an altered motor representation and motivate considerations early in rehabilitation.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Strong, Andrew, et al.
(author)
-
Asymmetric loading strategies during squats following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction : a longitudinal investigation with curve analyses throughout and after rehabilitation
- 2024
-
In: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0905-7188 .- 1600-0838. ; 34:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Investigations of kinetic asymmetries during bilateral squats following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are limited to mainly cross-sectional studies and discrete value data extracted at specific knee angles. We assessed loading asymmetries during squats longitudinally throughout rehabilitation using curve analysis and compared patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) between those with and without asymmetry. Bodyweight squats were performed by 24 individuals (13 females) post-ACLR on three occasions: (1) Early 2.9 (1.1) months; (2) Mid 8.8 (3.1) months; (3) at Return to Sport (RTS) 13.1 (3.6) months; and 29 asymptomatic controls (22 females) once. Time-normalized between-leg asymmetry curves of sagittal plane hip, knee, and ankle moments and vertical ground reaction forces were compared using functional data analysis methods. Individual asymmetrical loading for ACLR was classified when exceeding the 95% confidence interval of controls during ≥50% of the squat. At Early, ACLR had greater asymmetry than controls for knee (15%–100% eccentric phase; 0%–100% concentric) and ankle flexion moments (56%–65% concentric). At Mid, ACLR had greater asymmetry for knee (41%–72% eccentric) and ankle flexion moments (56%–69% concentric). No between-group differences were found at RTS. From Early to RTS, ACLR reduced asymmetry for hip (21%–46% eccentric), knee (27%–58% concentric), and ankle flexion moments (21%–57% eccentric). At Early, 11/24 underloaded their ACLR knee and 1 overloaded compared with controls. At RTS, 4 underloaded and 6 overloaded. No differences in PROMs were found based on loading asymmetry. Beyond the early phase of rehabilitation from ACLR, individual-level analyses are required to reveal differing loading strategies during bilateral squats.
|
|
