title: Attentional demands of postural control during single leg stance in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the amount of attention demands of postural control in patients with anterior cruciate ligament-reconstruction (ACL-R), by comparing the pattern of posture-cognition interaction between two groups of ACL-R patients (n=25) and healthy matched controls (n=25). All participants were examined during single-leg stance on a balance board under both single- and dual-task conditions in 4 dynamic balance tests. These tests were standing on the injured and uninjured legs with straight or flexed knees. The corresponding dominant and non-dominant legs of healthy group were considered as controls. Contact frequency and contact time were acquired as a measure of postural performance. Cognitive performance was assessed by counting the number of errors in a silent backward digit span task. The results of analysis of variance showed a significant higher contact frequency and longer contact time in patients with ACL-R compared to healthy matched controls (p<0.02). Moreover, the ACL-R patients showed a significantly higher contact frequency and longer contact time during dual-task compared to single-task conditions (p<0.01). This pattern of posture-cognition interference was not observed in the healthy control group. In conclusion, patients who had undergone ACL-R surgery demonstrated poorer balance stability during single-leg stance than healthy controls. Also, simultaneous execution of the cognitive task during standing caused a significant deterioration in postural stability which indicates decreased automaticity (increased attention demanding) of postural control in patients with ACL-R compared to healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Negahban
authors.forename: Payam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mehravar
authors.forename: Shahin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goharpey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; D001288:Attention; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D004856:Postural Balance; D011187:Posture; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament; Attention; Cognition; Posture; Reconstruction