Does the Extension Torque Control Differ between Injured and Uninjured Knees of ACL-Deficient Individuals?

Knee extension torque control decreases after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture. There is a controversy in neuromuscular control changes on the uninvolved side. We intended to evaluate the steadiness and accuracy of quadriceps muscle control in the healthy and deficient sides of people with acute ACL rupture.  

In this cross-sectional study, thirteen men with ACL rupture (age: 27.8±7.0, body mass index (BMI): 24.7±2.25: 24.7, days from injury: 48.1±21.3) participated in the study. We measured quadriceps force control, which is quantitatively assessed by the standard deviation (SD) of joint torque for a predefined submaximal target. The accuracy of muscular control or performance of quadriceps is commonly quantified by the root mean square of error (RMSE) was also measured. A two-way analysis of variance was conducted to assess SD and RMSE of two levels of quadriceps contraction (30% of muscle voluntary contraction (MVC), 50% of MVC) across both healthy and deficient knees.  

There was a significant main effect for SD and RMSE of MVC percentage (p<0.001). SD of quadriceps torque in 50% of MVC (1.44 ± 0.13) was higher than 30% of MVC (0.88 ± 0.1). In contrast, there was no significant main effect for SD and RMSE of knee condition.  

After unilateral ACL rupture, the neuromuscular system becomes defected and quadriceps muscle control is then reduced in the healthy side. Therefore, the healthy side is also vulnerable to ligamentous damage. Besides, with the increasing intensity of physical activities, neuromuscular control decreases and the risk of re-injury rises.