Clinical measurement of proprioceptive function after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

OBJECTIVE: Proprioception is very important for the integrity and stability of the knee joint. Patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear have a decline in proprioceptive functions of the injured knee. However, improvement of proprioceptive functions of the knee after ACL reconstruction is a subject of considerable debate. This study was conducted to evaluate the results of a simple clinical proprioception test developed by the author in patients with ACL reconstructed knees.

METHODS: This study was conducted in King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from January 1996 to June 2002. The proprioceptive function of the knee joint was studied in a group of ACL reconstructed patients (n=22) and compared them with a group of ACL deficient patients (n=32) and a group of healthy controls (n=30). Proprioception was evaluated based on the performance in a simple clinical test.

RESULTS: There was a significant difference in proprioceptive functions between the ACL deficient knees and the ACL reconstructed group (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the ACL reconstructed and the normal control group (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that proprioceptive deficits in ACL deficient knees, as measured clinically using the described test, might improve after ACL reconstruction.