Mechanism of Non‐Contact ACL Injury

Author(s):  
Barry P. Boden ◽  
Frances T. Sheehan
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 997
Author(s):  
Alessandro de Sire ◽  
Nicola Marotta ◽  
Andrea Demeco ◽  
Lucrezia Moggio ◽  
Pasquale Paola ◽  
...  

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury incidence is often underestimated in tennis players, who are considered as subjects conventionally less prone to knee injuries. However, evaluation of the preactivation of knee stabilizer muscles by surface electromyography (sEMG) showed to be a predictive value in the assessment of the risk of ACL injury. Therefore, this proof-of-concept study aimed at evaluating the role of visual input on the thigh muscle preactivation through sEMG to reduce ACL injury risk in tennis players. We recruited male, adult, semiprofessional tennis players from July to August 2020. They were asked to drop with the dominant lower limb from a step, to evaluate—based on dynamic valgus stress—the preactivation time of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis, biceps femoris, and medial hamstrings (MH), through sEMG. To highlight the influence of visual inputs, the athletes performed the test blindfolded and not blindfolded on both clay and grass surfaces. We included 20 semiprofessional male players, with a mean age 20.3 ± 4.8 years; results showed significant early muscle activation when the subject lacked visual input, but also when faced with a less-safe surface such as clay over grass. Considering the posteromedial–anterolateral relationship (MH/RF ratio), tennis players showed a significant higher MH/RF ratio if blindfolded (22.0 vs. 17.0% not blindfolded; p < 0.01) and percentage of falling on clay (17.0% vs. 14.0% in grass; p < 0.01). This proof-of-principle study suggests that in case of absence of visual input or falling on a surface considered unsafe (clay), neuro-activation would tend to protect the anterior stress of the knee. Thus, the sEMG might play a crucial role in planning adequate athletic preparation for semiprofessional male athletes in terms of reduction of ACL injury risk.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 4958
Author(s):  
Alessandro de Sire ◽  
Andrea Demeco ◽  
Nicola Marotta ◽  
Lucrezia Moggio ◽  
Arrigo Palumbo ◽  
...  

Neuromuscular warm-up has been shown to decrease the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury improving muscular firing patterns. All preventive training programs described in the literature have a duration of several weeks. To date, no studies have explored the immediate effect of a neuromuscular warm-up exercise on pre-activation time of the knee stabilizer muscles. Thus, this proof-of-principle study aimed at evaluating the acute effects of a neuromuscular warm-up exercises on the electromyographic activation of knee stabilizer muscles’ activation pattern. We included 11 professional football players, mean aged 23.2 ± 4.5 years, from a Southern Italy football team. All of them underwent a standard warm-up exercise protocol at the first day of the evaluation. At 1 week, they underwent a structured neuromuscular warm-up exercise protocol. We assessed as outcome measure the pre-activation time (ms) of rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis (VM), biceps femoris (BF), and medial hamstrings (MH) upon landing. Outcomes were assessed before and after the standard warm-up and neuromuscular warm-up. Pre-activation time of RF, VM, BF and MH significantly improved only after neuromuscular warm-up (p < 0.05); moreover, there was a significant (p < 0.05) between-group difference in pre-activation time of all muscles after the neuromuscular warm-up compared with the standard warm-up. These findings suggested that physical exercise consisting of a structured injury prevention neuromuscular warm-up might have an immediate effect in improving the activation time of the knee stabilizer muscles, thus potentially reducing the risk of ACL injury.


2021 ◽  
pp. 194173812110295
Author(s):  
Patrick Ward ◽  
Peter Chang ◽  
Logan Radtke ◽  
Robert H. Brophy

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common injuries; they are often associated with concomitant injuries to other structures in the knee, including bone bruises. While there is limited evidence that bone bruises are associated with slightly worse clinical outcomes, the implications of bone bruises for the articular cartilage and the risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee are less clear. Recent studies suggest that the bone bruise pattern may be helpful in predicting the presence of meniscal ramp lesions. Evidence Acquisition: A literature review was performed in EMBASE using the keyword search phrase (acl OR (anterior AND cruciate AND ligament)) AND ((bone AND bruise) OR (bone AND contusion) OR (bone AND marrow AND edema) OR (bone AND marrow AND lesion) OR (subchondral AND edema)). Study Design: Clinical review. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Results: The literature search returned 93 articles of which 25 were ultimately included in this review. Most studies identified a high prevalence of bone bruises in the setting of acute ACL injury. Individual studies have found relationships between bone bruise volume and functional outcomes; however, these results were not supported by systematic review. Similarly, the literature has contradictory findings on the relationship between bone bruises and the progression of OA after ACL reconstruction. Investigations into concomitant injury found anterolateral ligament and meniscal ramp lesions to be associated with bone bruise presence on magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion: Despite the ample literature identifying the prevalence of bone bruises in association with ACL injury, there is little evidence to correlate bone bruises to functional outcomes or progression of OA. Bone bruises may best be used as a marker for concomitant injury such as medial meniscal ramp lesions that are not always well visualized on magnetic resonance imaging. Further research is required to establish the longitudinal effects of bone bruises on ACL tear recovery. Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy: 2.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 232596712110067
Author(s):  
Lambert T. Li ◽  
Carlin Chuck ◽  
Steven L. Bokshan ◽  
Brett D. Owens

Background: Patients are commonly evaluated at the emergency department (ED) with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, but providers without orthopaedics training may struggle to correctly diagnose these injuries. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that few patients would be diagnosed with an ACL tear while in the ED and that these patients would be of lower socioeconomic status and more likely to have public insurance. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The 2017 State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Database (SASD) and State Emergency Department Database (SEDD) from the state of Florida were utilized in this study. Cases with Current Procedural Terminology code 29888 (arthroscopically aided ACL reconstruction [ACLR]) were selected from the SASD, and data from the SEDD were matched to patients who had an ED visit for a knee injury within 120 days before ACLR. Chi-square analysis was used to test for differences in patient and surgical variables between the ED visit and nonvisit patient groups. A generalized linear model was created to model the effect of ED visit on total cost for an ACL injury. Results: While controlling for differences in patient characteristics and concomitant procedure usage, a visit to the ED added $4587 in total cost ( P < .001). The ED visit cohort contained a greater proportion of patients with Medicaid (20.2% vs 9.1%), patients who were Black (18.4% vs 10.3%), and patients in the lowest income quartile (34.4% vs 25.0%) ( P < .001 for all). In the ED visit cohort, 14.4% of patients received an allograft versus 10.1% in the non-ED visit cohort ( P = .001) despite having a similar mean age. An ACL sprain was diagnosed in only 29 of the 645 (4.5%) patients who visited the ED. Conclusion: Utilizing the ED for care after an ACL injury was expensive, averaging a $4587 increase in total cost associated with ACLR. However, patients rarely left with a definitive diagnosis, with only 4.5% of patients who underwent ACLR being correctly diagnosed with an ACL tear in the ED. This additional cost was levied disproportionately on patients of low socioeconomic status and patients with Medicaid.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2331
Author(s):  
Stefano Di Paolo ◽  
Nicola Francesco Lopomo ◽  
Francesco Della Villa ◽  
Gabriele Paolini ◽  
Giulio Figari ◽  
...  

The aim of the present study was to quantify joint kinematics through a wearable sensor system in multidirectional high-speed complex movements used in a protocol for rehabilitation and return to sport assessment after Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, and to validate it against a gold standard optoelectronic marker-based system. Thirty-four healthy athletes were evaluated through a full-body wearable sensor (MTw Awinda, Xsens) and a marker-based optoelectronic (Vicon Nexus, Vicon) system during the execution of three tasks: drop jump, forward sprint, and 90° change of direction. Clinically relevant joint angles of lower limbs and trunk were compared through Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r), and the Coefficient of Multiple Correlation (CMC). An excellent agreement (r > 0.94, CMC > 0.96) was found for knee and hip sagittal plane kinematics in all the movements. A fair-to-excellent agreement was found for frontal (r 0.55–0.96, CMC 0.63–0.96) and transverse (r 0.45–0.84, CMC 0.59–0.90) plane kinematics. Movement complexity slightly affected the agreement between the systems. The system based on wearable sensors showed fair-to-excellent concurrent validity in the evaluation of the specific joint parameters commonly used in rehabilitation and return to sport assessment after ACL injury for complex movements. The ACL professionals could benefit from full-body wearable technology in the on-field rehabilitation of athletes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Song ◽  
Dongyang Chen ◽  
Xinsheng Qi ◽  
Qing Jiang ◽  
Caiwei Xia

Abstract Purpose To investigate the potential factors associated with the prevalence of meniscal repair Methods Patients who received partial meniscectomy or meniscal repair in our institution from Jan 2015 to Dec 2019 were included in current study. The inclusion criteria were (1) meniscus tear treated using meniscectomy or repair, (2) with or without concomitant anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, (3) not multiligamentous injury. Demographic data, including sex, age, body mass index (BMI), injury-to-surgery interval and intra-articular factors such as the location of injury, medial or lateral, ACL rupture or not and the option of procedure (partial meniscectomy or repair) were documented from medical records. Univariate analysis consisted of chi-square. Multivariate logistic regression was then performed to adjust for confounding factors. Results 592 patients including 399 males and 193 females with a mean age of 28.7 years (range from 10 to 75 years) were included in current study. In the univariate analysis, male (p = 0.002), patients aged 40 years or younger (p < 0.001), increased weight (p = 0.010), Posterior meniscus torn (0.011), concurrent ACL ruputure (p < 0.001), lateral meniscus (p = 0.039) and early surgery (p < 0.001) were all associated with the prevalence of meniscal repair. However, After adjusting for confounding factors, we found that age (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17 - 0.68, p = 0.002), ACL injury (OR, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.97 – 7.21, p < 0.001), side of menisci (OR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.43 – 7.55, p = 0.005), site of tear (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07 – 0.32, p < 0.001), and duration of injury (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.28 – 0.82, p = 0.008) were associated with the prevalence of meniscus repair. Conclusions Meniscal tear in aged patients especially those with concomitant ACL injury is likely to be repaired. Additionally, in order to increase the prevalence of repair and slow down progression of OA, the surgical procedure should be performed within two weeks after meniscus tear especially when the tear is located at lateral meniscal posterior. Study design Case-control study; level of evidence, 3.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 232596712110050
Author(s):  
Hanna Tigerstrand Grevnerts ◽  
Sofi Sonesson ◽  
Håkan Gauffin ◽  
Clare L. Ardern ◽  
Anders Stålman ◽  
...  

Background: In the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, there is little evidence of when and why a decision for ACL reconstruction (ACLR) or nonoperative treatment (non-ACLR) is made. Purpose: To (1) describe the key characteristics of ACL injury treatment decisions and (2) compare patient-reported knee instability, function, and preinjury activity level between patients with non-ACLR and ACLR treatment decisions. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 216 patients with acute ACL injury were evaluated during the first year after injury. The treatment decision was non-ACLR in 73 patients and ACLR in 143. Reasons guiding treatment decision were obtained from medical charts and questionnaires to patients and orthopaedic surgeons. Patient-reported instability and function were obtained via questionnaires and compared between patients with non-ACLR and ACLR treatment decisions. The ACLR treatment group was classified retrospectively by decision phase: acute phase (decision made between injury day and 31 days after injury), subacute phase (decision made between 32 days and up to 5 months after injury), and late phase (decision made 5-12 months after injury). Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, and group comparisons were made using parametric or nonparametric tests as appropriate. Results: The main reasons for a non-ACLR treatment decision were no knee instability and no problems with knee function. The main reasons for an ACLR treatment decision were high activity demands and knee instability. Patients in the non-ACLR group were significantly older ( P = .031) and had a lower preinjury activity level than did those in the acute-phase ( P < .01) and subacute-phase ( P = .006) ACLR decision groups. There were no differences in patient-reported instability and function between treatment decision groups at baseline, 4 weeks after injury, or 3 months after injury. Conclusion: Activity demands, not patient-reported knee instability, may be the most important factor in the decision-making process for treatment after ACL injury. We suggest a decision-making algorithm for patients with ACL injuries and no high activity demands; waiting for >3 months can help distinguish those who need surgical intervention from those who can undergo nonoperative management. Registration: NCT02931084 ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0013
Author(s):  
Manish Anand ◽  
Jed A. Diekfuss ◽  
Dustin R. Grooms ◽  
Alexis B. Slutsky-Ganesh ◽  
Scott Bonnette ◽  
...  

Background: Aberrant frontal and sagittal plane knee motor control biomechanics contribute to increased anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk. Emergent data further indicates alterations in brain function may underlie ACL injury high risk biomechanics and primary injury. However, technical limitations have limited our ability to assess direct linkages between maladaptive biomechanics and brain function. Hypothesis/Purpose: (1) Increased frontal plane knee range of motion would associate with altered brain activity in regions important for sensorimotor control and (2) increased sagittal plane knee motor control timing error would associate with altered activity in sensorimotor control brain regions. Methods: Eighteen female high-school basketball and volleyball players (14.7 ± 1.4 years, 169.5 ± 7 cm, 65.8 ± 20.5 kg) underwent brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a bilateral, combined hip, knee, and ankle flexion/extension movements against resistance (i.e., leg press) Figure 1(a). The participants completed this task to a reference beat of 1.2 Hz during four movement blocks of 30 seconds each interleaved in between 5 rest blocks of 30 seconds each. Concurrent frontal and sagittal plane range of motion (ROM) kinematics were measured using an MRI-compatible single camera motion capture system. Results: Increased frontal plane ROM was associated with increased brain activity in one cluster extending over the occipital fusiform gyrus and lingual gyrus ( p = .003, z > 3.1). Increased sagittal plane motor control timing error was associated with increased brain activity in multiple clusters extending over the occipital cortex (lingual gyrus), frontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex ( p < .001, z > 3.1); see Figure 1 (b). Conclusion: The associations of increased knee frontal plane ROM and sagittal plane timing error with increased activity in regions that integrate visuospatial information may be indicative of an increased propensity for knee injury biomechanics that are, in part, driven by reduced spatial awareness and an inability to adequately control knee abduction motion. Increased activation in these regions during movement tasks may underlie an impaired ability to control movements (i.e., less neural efficiency), leading to compromised knee positions during more complex sports scenarios. Increased activity in regions important for cognition/attention associating with motor control timing error further indicates a neurologically inefficient motor control strategy. [Figure: see text]


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document