The effect of anterior cruciate ligament trauma and bracing on knee proprioception.
We studied the effect that chronic anterior cruciate ligament disruption, functional bracing, and a neoprene sleeve have on knee proprioception by measuring the threshold to detection of passive knee motion in all three conditions. The threshold to detection of passive knee motion was worse in knees with chronic anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency when compared with uninjured knees. This difference was small, on average an additional 0.28 degree of flexion-extension rotation was required for the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee before the subject detected motion, and of questionable significance from a clinical and functional perspective. Wearing a functional brace or neoprene sleeve on the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee did not significantly change the threshold to detection of passive motion in comparison with the same knee without a brace, although improvements were observed. There was no relationship between the most common clinical means of characterizing altered biomechanics of the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee (that is, the magnitude of anterior-posterior knee laxity and the grade of pivot shift) and the threshold to detection of passive knee motion.
Beynnon
B D
BD
Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, McClure Musculoskeletal Research Center, University of Vermont, College of Medicine, Burlington 05405-0084, USA.
Ryder
S H
SH
Konradsen
L
L
Johnson
R J
RJ
Johnson
K
K
Renström
P A
PA
D000328:Adult; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D001458:Bandages; D001915:Braces; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009387:Neoprene; D011434:Proprioception; D012421:Rupture; D012684:Sensory Thresholds
D009387:Neoprene