Single-leg assessment of postural stability and knee functional outcome two years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse postural stability and the single-leg hop for distance in subjects 2 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), in comparison with an age- and activity-matched control group. DESIGN AND SETTING: Subjects reported to a sports medicine or athletic training research laboratory for testing. SUBJECTS: Twenty-six subjects having undergone ACLR and 26 age- and activity-matched controls were selected to participate in this study. An arthroscopically-assisted, central, one-third bone-patellar tendon procedure was used to repair the ACLs. MEASUREMENTS: One-leg stance postural stability was measured with the NeuroCom Balance Master platform system. We recorded the single-leg hop for distance as an objective measure of function. RESULTS: We found a significant difference (p<0.05) between the ACLR and control subjects in terms of the one-leg stance sway velocity (knee fully extended) on the operated side. CONCLUSIONS: After ACLR (mean time postoperatively: 24+/-1 months), single-leg hop for distance score was normal, when compared with the contralateral limb. Our results indicate that 2 years after surgery, single-limb postural stability in the ACLR group differed significantly from that in the control group. The persistence of poor stability control may be correlated to an impairment in proprioception.

[Isokinetic, functional and proprioceptive assessment of soccer players two years after surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee]. / Evaluation isocinétique, fonctionnelle et proprioceptive du footballeur à deux ans postopératoire de la reconstruction du ligament croisé antérieur du genou.

UNLABELLED: Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee are common in sport and are treated routinely in the world of sports medicine. In order to resume competitive sport in safety, it is important to know the actual level of performance achieved by the operated leg some time after the ligament repair. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this work was to evaluate the recovery of the operated leg in Tunisian sportsmen two years after surgery by using isokinetic testing (60 degrees s(-1)), the one-leg hop distance test (i.e. a functional activity that one often finds in sport) and proprioceptive assessment. A secondary objective was to detect any possible correlations between the various outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The ACL group was composed of 26 top-level Tunisian footballers having undergone ACL ligament repair. Two years after surgery, the following assessments were performed: an isokinetic test with an angular velocity of 60 degrees s(-1), a proprioceptive assessment in both active and passive modes and the functional one-leg hop distance test. RESULTS: Our investigations confirmed a muscle deficit of 16% in the hamstring muscles of the injured leg. In both active and passive modes, normal proprioception is observed at a flexion of 60 degrees and in total extension but not in a mid-way position. The performance level of the operated leg (in terms of distance) had an average symmetry value of 93.40+/-2.7%. CONCLUSION: Playing football appears to influence the isokinetic strength profile in sportsmen after ACL repair. The repair procedure leads to bilateral proprioceptive disruption at 15 degrees of knee flexion, on average.