Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear, Osteo Arthritis Knee
Conditions
Brief summary
Knee injuries, especially those to the ACL, are common among physically active people. These injuries are frequently treated with surgical reconstruction (ACL reconstruction; ACLR). While ACLR restores stability it does not protect against future injury, long-term pain, disability, and arthritis associated with these injuries. Our study is going to examine new ways to provide feedback about the way people move to determine if these are better at modifying movement patterns that are known risk factors of posttraumatic osteoarthritis development than current standard treatments. If you participate, you will be asked to undergo a movement analysis in a research laboratory while you perform tasks such as walking and hopping. After this initial assessment, you will be randomly allocated to one of 2 treatment groups. Each treatment group will perform 4 weeks (3x/week) of exercises to change the way people walk. Participants will then report for follow-up movement analysis testing 1- and 4-weeks after completing the intervention.
Interventions
Participants will complete 12 sessions over a 3-week period of functional movement retraining while receiving mirror feedback. Participants will be instructed to perform each functional task in a manner that keeps their knee in line with their toes.
OTHERExternal focus of attention feedback
Participants will complete 12 sessions over a 3-week period of functional movement retraining while receiving visual feedback via laser. Participants will be instructed to perform each functional task in a manner that does causes the laser to move up and down but not side-to-side.
Sponsors
Arthritis Foundation
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* history of primary, unilateral ACL reconstruction 6-24 months prior to enrollment * cleared to return to full activity by treating orthopedic surgeon
Exclusion criteria
* Body mass index \>35 kg/m2 * History of musculoskeletal injury sustained 3 months prior to enrollment * Current participation in formal post-operative rehabilitation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes from baseline in lower extremity biomechanics during walking | 1-week post-intervention, 4-weeks post-intervention | Knee and hip angles and loads measured via 3D biomechanics |
| Knee cartilage health | 1-week post-intervention, 4-weeks post-intervention | Knee cartilage thickness measured using diagnostic ultrasound imaging |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed