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ACL reconstruction patients show decreased limb symmetry regardless of time after surgery
Patients who undergo ACL reconstruction show decreased postoperative vertical jump height and vertical ground-reaction force independent of time in their operated limb, indicating a need to assess these factors to determine whether a patient should return to sport, according to Ohio researchers.
“On the basis of these results, clinicians should consider assessment of single-limb power performance in the decision-making process for return-to-sport release,” Gregory D. Myer, PhD, FACSM, CSCS, and colleagues stated in the study abstract. “Persistent side-to-side asymmetries may increase the risk of contralateral and/or ipsilateral injury.”
Postoperatively, Myer and colleagues assessed vertical jump height and calculated the single-limb symmetry index (LSI) in 33 patients, also noting the maximum vertical ground-reaction force (VGRF) during single-limb landing and comparing these results against a control of 67 patients, according to the abstract. LSI was calculated as the involved limb divided by the uninvolved limb, expressed as a ratio.
Using a linear regression analysis, there was no significant association with time from surgery and decreased limb symmetry in the ACL reconstruction group. Eighty-nine percent of patients in the ACL reconstruction group had decreased single-limb vertical jump height compared to 101% in the control group. Regarding VGRF, the LSI normalized to potential energy in ACL reconstruction patients was higher than in the control group, at 112% and 102%, respectively, according to the abstract.
Disclosure: The authors received funding from NFL Charities and National Institutes of Health/NIAMS grants to conduct this study.