Proprioceptive deficits after ACL injury: are they clinically relevant?

Abstract

Objective To establish the clinical relevance of proprioceptive defi cits reported after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Material and methods A literature search was done in electronic databases from

Lower extremity muscle activation onset times during the transition from double-leg stance to single-leg stance in anterior cruciate ligament injured subjects

“…This afferent neural input may be altered after ACL injury through a variety of mechanisms, including the presence of joint effusion, excessive movement, pain, as well as the loss of mechanoreceptors after disruption of the ACL itself (Palmieri-Smith & Thomas, 2009). A diminished joint position sense and increased threshold to detection of passive motion have been demonstrated in ACLI subjects compared to non-injured subjects (Gokeler et al, 2012). As the acquisition of proprioceptive information is considered to be essential for neuromuscular control mechanisms (Riemann & Lephart, 2002a), the delayed muscle activation onset times in this study may therefore be attributed to the altered proprioceptive information after ACL injury.…”

“…However, the validity of this theory can be questioned, as it cannot fully explain the altered muscle activation patterns in the other lower extremity joints, and the lack of consistent differences between the injured and non-injured leg of the ACLI group. Furthermore, proprioceptive deficits have only a low-to-moderate correlation with function after ACL injury (Gokeler et al, 2012). In this perspective, it is important to know that the acquisition of peripheral proprioceptive information reflects only one aspect of a long and complex sensorimotor pathway.…”

Proprioception 3 years after shoulder arthroplasty in 3D motion analysis: a prospective study

“…In the literature, to date there is no study analyzing the question of clinical relevance of a deterioration of shoulder proprioception after surgery. But there is one actual review by Gokeler et al [9] analyzing the clinical relevance of a proprioceptive deWcit after ACL injury. They even discuss proprioceptive deWcits of 0.2°-0.8° relative to their clinical relevance and conclude that proprioceptive deWcits as measured with the current methods have only a low to moderate clinically relevant correlation with function.…”

The effect of a patellar strap on knee joint proprioception in healthy participants and athletes with patellar tendinopathy

“…Finally, one should realise that the method used in this study to determine proprioception is very different from actual activities during sports. 26 The movement that is executed by the device is passive and unloaded, and the angular velocity is very low. Still, determining the TTDPM is considered the most precise and repeatable measure available at the moment to determine proprioception of the knee.…”