title: Neuromechanical characteristics in the knees of patients who had primary conservative treatment for a torn cruciate ligament and reconstruction afterward.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the neuromechanical characteristics and subjective outcomes for knees of patients with a cruciate ligament tear and reconstruction with those for knees of controls at three time intervals, and to determine correlations between the characteristics and subjective outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten participants with a cruciate ligament tear and at least a 12-week conservative treatment prior to ligament reconstruction were prospectively measured prior to and 3 months and 6 months after surgery. Ten healthy individuals were recruited as controls. Questionnaire surveys regarding the injured knee were conducted, as were bilateral measurements of root mean square electromyography (EMG), the rate of EMG rise, the median frequency in the vastus medialis of the quadriceps muscles and antagonist coactivation from the semitendinosus muscle, and force capacities, including peak torque, rate of force development, and total works of the knee extension. Correlations between the EMG variables (of the vastus medialis and semitendinosus) and the force capacities, and between the EMG variables and the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome scores (KOOS), and between force capacities and the KOOS were assessed in the participants with a ligament reconstruction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pre- and postoperative results of EMG variable and force capacities were lower in both knees of the experimental group participants than in the control group participants (all p < 0.05). Correlations between EMG and force capacities, and between these parameters and the KOOS were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were bilateral neuromechanical defects in the knees of the participants who had undergone conservative treatment as well as reconstruction after a cruciate ligament tear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Jyh-Horng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Center of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Wei-Li
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Song-Ching
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Tyng-Guey
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Clintec, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rolf
authors.affiliation: Department of Business Administration, Hwa Hsia Institute of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Sheng-Chu
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Image, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Tiffany T F
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.affiliation: School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Center of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: hkwang@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Hsing-Kuo
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008022:Ligaments / Q000293:injuries*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: biomechanics; knee injury; neural control