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Similar outcomes found with functional braces, neoprene knee sleeves after ACL reconstruction
Women younger than 25 using a brace had a higher a quality of life score than those with a sleeve.
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CALGARY, Alberta — A neoprene knee sleeve provides patients with support similar to a functional knee brace after primary ACL reconstruction, according to a study presented here.
"[A] functional knee brace does not result in superior outcomes after ACL reconstruction," said Trevor B. Birmingham, PhD, PT, at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 2007 Annual Meeting.
Birmingham is the Canada Research Chair in musculoskeletal rehabilitation at the University of Western Ontario and the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic in London, Ontario. He and colleagues evaluated outcomes among 150 patients assigned to use one of the two types of support devices.
At 6 weeks postop, investigators randomly assigned 76 patients to the functional knee brace group and 74 patients to the neoprene sleeve group. Both groups had been instructed to wear their knee orthosis when performing any physical activity, according to the study.
The researchers found no significant differences between the groups in KT-1000, Tegner, single-limb forward hop test or ACL quality of life questionnaire scores at 1 and 2 years follow-up.
At 2 years, they found a 2.87% mean difference in ACL quality of life scores, a 2.64% mean difference in the limb-hop symmetry index and a 0.07 mm mean KT-1000 side-to-side difference between the groups.
Overall, three failures occurred, including two meniscal tears in the functional brace group and one meniscal tear in the neoprene sleeve-treated group, Birmingham said.
A subgroup analysis of women younger than 25 years of age found that those who used the functional knee brace had significantly higher ACL quality of life scores compared to those who used the sleeve. However, this finding should be interpreted with caution due to the subgroup's small sample size, he noted.
Birmingham also noted that using a neoprene sleeve vs. a functional brace can result in a substantial cost savings.
The study was not designed to compare the treatment value of using a neoprene sleeve vs. no support, he added.
For more information:
- Trevor B. Birmingham, PhD, PT, can be reached at the Physical Therapy Department at the University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, Suite 2, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5B8; 519-661-2111.
- Birmingham TB, Bryant D, Giffin JR, et. al. An RCT comparing the effectiveness of functional knee brace to neoprene sleeve use following ACL reconstruction. Presented at American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 2007 Annual Meeting. July 12-15, 2007. Calgary, Alberta.