Knee Injuries
Conditions
Keywords
virtual reality, embodiment, rehabilitation, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether 4 weeks of daily virtual-reality-based rehabilitation at home improves disability in the early stages of recovery from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery compared with standard care.
Detailed description
After being informed about the study and potential risks and benefits, patients giving written informed consent will be randomized to one of two groups in a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group will perform daily a 20-minute rehabilitation session in virtual reality, in which they will observe their virtual body performing a series of exercises they would otherwise be unable to perform in real life. Both groups will also undergo the standard rehabilitation protocol. The investigators will assess for differences between groups in self-reported disability, knee range of motion, and quadriceps strength at baseline, 4 weeks, 12 weeks and 9 months.
Interventions
DEVICEVirtual reality
Embodiment of a healthy virtual body in virtual reality and action observation/motor imagery of the subject's virtual body performing high-level lower limb exercises.
Sponsors
Fundación Mutua Madrileña
Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Aged 18-40 (either sex) * Post-operative anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (autograft), either bone-patellar tendon-bone graft or semitendinosus (hamstring) graft
Exclusion criteria
* Patients with significant cognitive deficit (MEC\<24). * Patients with epilepsy or severe vision problems * Pregnant patients * Previous surgery on the reconstructed knee, excluding arthroscopy * Previous anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on either knee * Sustained concurrent injury to the contralateral knee * Concomitant collateral ligament and/or meniscal repair * Presence of symptomatic tibiofemoral osteoarthritis
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Form | Baseline (day 1 post-surgery) | Patient-completed tool, which contains sections on knee symptoms/pain, function, and sports activities. Scores range from 0 points (lowest level of function or highest level of symptoms) to 100 points (highest level of function and lowest level of symptoms). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Isometric quadriceps strength | Baseline | Measured knee extension strength with a handheld dynamometer, expressed as peak force (Newtons) |
| Knee extension active range of motion | Baseline | Measured with a digital goniometer (smartphone app) |
| Time taken to return to sporting activity | 9 months | Taken retrospectively at 9 months, number of days from surgery to full return to sport |
| Kinesiophobia | Baseline | Fear of movement as measured with the Tampa scale of kinesiophobia |
Countries
Spain
Outcome results
None listed