Background: After anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), quadriceps strength must be maximised as early as possible.
Objectives: We tested whether local vibration training (LVT) during the early post-ACLR period (i.e., ∼10 weeks) could improve strength recovery.
Methods: This was a multicentric, open, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. Thirty individuals attending ACLR were randomised by use of a dedicated Web application to 2 groups: vibration (standardised rehabilitation plus LVT, n=16) or control (standardised rehabilitation alone, n=14). Experimenters, physiotherapists and participants were not blinded. Both groups received 24 sessions of standardised rehabilitation over ∼10 weeks. In addition, the vibration group received 1 hour of vibration applied to the relaxed quadriceps of the injured leg at the end of each rehabilitation session. The primary outcome - maximal isometric strength of both injured and non-injured legs (i.e., allowing for limb asymmetry measurement) - was evaluated before ACLR (PRE) and after the 10-week rehabilitation (POST).
Results: Seven participants were lost to follow-up, so data for 23 participants were used in the complete-case analysis. For the injured leg, the mean (SD) decrease in maximal strength from PRE to POST was significantly lower for the vibration than control group (n=11, -16% [10] vs. n=12, -30% [11]; P=0.0045, Cohen's d effect size=1.33). Mean PRE-POST change in limb symmetry was lower for the vibration than control group (-19% [11] vs. -29% [13]) but not significantly (P=0.051, Cohen's d effect size=0.85).
Conclusion: LVT improved strength recovery after ACLR. This feasibility study suggests that LVT applied to relaxed muscles is a promising modality of vibration therapy that could be implemented early in ACLR.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02929004.
Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; Local vibration; Rehabilitation; Strength.
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