Mental Imagery to Improve Quadriceps Strength Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: a Feasibility Study

Marquette University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Treatments: Behavioral: Mental Imagery Closed Chain; Behavioral: Mental Imagery Open Chain

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06858293

HR-4875

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand if people recovering from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) surgery will complete mental imagery training and if this will improve their injured leg's strength. The main questions are:

• Will people complete a five-day mental imagery exercise schedule while in physical therapy for ACLR?
• Does mental imagery exercise help raise leg strength during ACLR recovery? Researchers will also compare if different mental imagery exercises involving leg extension or squats will change leg strength.

Participants will be asked to:

• Participate in two testing sessions to make measurements of leg function
• Complete about 10 minutes of mental imagery exercises once per day for five days at home and write down whether they complete the exercises.

Enrollment: 20 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• post anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) surgery
• cleared to participate in physical therapy
• currently in physical therapy related to ACLR

Exclusion criteria

• greater than 9 months post ACLR surgery
• history of lower back of hip pain that would limit lower limb motor testing
• current neurological condition that limits muscle strength
• history of substance abuse in the last 5 years
• any uncontrolled medical condition
• inability to follow 2-step commands

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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20 participants in 2 patient groups

Mental Imagery Open Chain

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive a paper packet with instructions to imagine themselves performing seated maximal leg extension exercises. They will be instructed to imagine the feeling of the exercise for 5 seconds, rest for 5 seconds, and repeat this 50 times with a 2-minute rest period after the 25th repetition. They will also be asked to keep track of the exercises with tallies on a table within the packet and also to record on this table if they did not complete the exercises for that day. The participant is asked to perform the exercises on five consecutive days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mental Imagery Open Chain

Mental Imagery Closed Chain

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive a paper packet with instructions to imagine themselves performing maximal standing squat exercises. They will be instructed to imagine the feeling of the exercise for 5 seconds, rest for 5 seconds, and repeat this 50 times with a 2-minute rest period after the 25th repetition. They will also be asked to keep track of the exercises with tallies on a table within the packet and also to record on this table if they did not complete the exercises for that day. The participant is asked to perform the exercises on five consecutive days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mental Imagery Closed Chain