Dynamic Stability of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Deficient Knee

The study that is registered in ClinicalTrials is a part study of an overall study with the title 'Dynamic stability of the ACL-injured knee'. The aim of the overall study is to prospectively follow a cohort of newly injured patients with total rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, in order to document results from different rehabilitation regimes after the injury. The title of the part study is 'Neuromuscular changes in ACL-deficient individuals before and after an intensive perturbation training program. A case-control study.' The aims of the part study are: 1. To describe muscle activation patterns, joint angles and forces during gait and one-legged hop in newly injured ACL-deficient individuals before and after execution of an intensive training program consisting of either perturbation training or conventional balance- and stability training 2. To describe eventual changes between the two groups that may indicate superiority of either one of the methods The study will include 25 subjects in each group. The intervention consists of two different rehabilitation protocols for neuromuscular training. Subjects will be tested in a biomechanical laboratory before and after intervention, with use of 3D camera systems, force plates and electromyographic measurements (EMG). Main outcomes are eventual differences in muscle activation patterns, joint angles and forces during selected phases of walking and one-legged hopping. Secondary outcomes of interest are self-assessment of knee function, isokinetic strength and functional one-legged hop tests. Status: Inclusion to the main study started in January 2007. Data collection for the case-control part study will take place in 2008-2009. The part study study should be finished in 2010, where results will be included in a PhD dissertation. The PhD student responsible, Ingrid Eitzen, is enrolled in the Doctoral program at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo. She is employed at Orthopaedic Centre, Ul