Functional Resistance Training to Improve Knee Function After ACL Reconstruction

University of Michigan

Status: Completed

Conditions: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Treatments: Other: Functional Resistance Training with Brace; Other: Control; Other: Functional Resistance Training with Elastic Band

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03282565

HUM00133860

R21HD092614 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to examine if thigh muscle weakness and the lack of muscle activation that accompanies ACL injury and reconstruction can be improved with functional resistance training.

Full description

Profound quadriceps weakness is ubiquitous after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, and current rehabilitation approaches are not successful in optimizing quadriceps strength and knee function even years after the surgery. We hypothesize that suboptimal strength and functional outcomes after ACL surgery are due to the lack of task-specific exercise elements during strength training. This application seeks to assess whether progressive functional resistance training during gait will significantly improve quadriceps function, neural excitability, and knee mechanics during gait. The proposed studies will not only lay the foundation for a novel training paradigm, but will also improve our understanding of the mechanisms mediating neuromuscular and biomechanical changes after functional resistance training.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 14 to 40 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• aged 14-40 years
• suffered an acute, complete ACL rupture
• willingness to participate in testing and follow-up as outlined in the protocol
• English-speaking

Exclusion criteria

• inability to provide written informed consent
• female subjects who are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant
• previous ACL injury
• previous surgery to either knee
• bony fracture accompanying ACL injury
• patients who experienced a knee dislocation;
• patients who are contraindicated for transcranial magnetic stimulation (e.g., metal implants in head, unexplained recurrent headaches, history of seizures, epileptogenic drugs, active psychiatric illness, etc.).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 3 patient groups

Functional Resistance Training with a Brace

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive functional resistance training via a knee brace while walking on a treadmill 2-3 times a week for about 8 weeks.

Treatment:

Other: Functional Resistance Training with Brace

Functional Resistance Training with Elastic Band

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive functional resistance training via an elastic band attached at the ankle while walking on a treadmill 2-3 times a week for about 8 weeks.

Treatment:

Other: Functional Resistance Training with Elastic Band

Control

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Participants will while on a treadmill without an applied resistance 2-3 times a week for about 8 weeks.

Treatment:

Other: Control