Operation ACL: Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Linnaeus University

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Treatments: Other: Traditional program; Other: Novel program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06318039

IRB2022-06554-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

Scientific Research Question

Overall Purpose:

Regarding rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), there is a knowledge gap - a lack of evidence. Important questions such as how rehabilitation should be structured, what it should include, and how it should be evaluated are currently not clear. Therefore, the investigators plan to conduct a two-year follow-up randomized controlled trial (RCT) on post-ACLR rehabilitation.

Moreover, detailed information on how/under what circumstances the ACL injury occurred is not satisfactorily described in the literature. Therefore, the investigators are planning a new survey that can identify, explain, and prevent the risk factors causing a person to suffer from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Specific Objectives:

How should guidelines for rehabilitation after ACLR be structured, what should they include, and how should they be evaluated to best restore knee function in the patient? Can a detailed and comprehensive survey identify, explain, and prevent the risk factors causing a person to suffer from an ACL injury?

Full description

The overall aim of the project is to improve the physiotherapeutic guidelines to enhance the quality of rehabilitation for patients with surgically repaired anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. ACL injury is a severe knee injury that often prevents young individuals from continuing sports activities at their desired level. It can eventually lead to knee osteoarthritis within 10-15 years after the initial injury. Despite existing research on preventive training for young athletes in high-risk sports such as soccer, handball, and floorball, this injury remains common. ACL injury in young female athletes engaged in contact sports is 2-5 times more prevalent compared to young males. Regarding rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction, literature often indicates inadequacies where full muscle strength or jumping ability has not been regained. Despite this, patients often return to sports activities, which may increase the risk of re-injury. Guidelines for structuring rehabilitation, its content, and evaluation need improvement accordingly.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Athletes or recreational athletes that have undergone ACLR

Exclusion criteria

• Patients that have undergone ACLR that are nor athletes or recreational athletes

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

Novel program

Experimental group

Description:

Rehabilitation using a novel program

Treatment:

Other: Traditional program

Other: Novel program

Traditional program

Active Comparator group

Description:

Rehabilitation using a traditional program

Treatment:

Other: Traditional program

Other: Novel program