The effect of proprioceptive knee bracing on knee stability during three different sport related movement tasks in healthy subjects and the implications to the management of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries

Abstract

(2016) The effect of proprioceptive knee bracing on knee stability during three different sport related movement tasks in healthy subjects and the implications to the management of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries. Gait and Posture, 48 . pp. 165 170. ISSN 0966 6362 It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from the work. Objective: This study aimed to explore if such improvements in stability may be seen during faster sports specific tasks as well as slower tasks. Method: Twelve subjects performed a slow step down, single leg drop jump and pivot turn jump with and without a silicone web brace. 3D kinematics of the knee were collected using a ten camera Qualisys motion analysis system. Reflective markers were placed on the foot, shank, thigh and pelvis using the Calibrated Anatomical Systems Technique. A two way ANOVA with repeated measures was performed with post-hoc pairwise comparison to explore the differences between the two conditions and three tasks. Results: Significant differences were seen in the knee joint angles and angular velocities in the sagittal, coronal and transverse planes between the tasks. The brace showed a reduction in knee valgum and internal rotation across all tasks, with the most notable effect during the single leg drop jump and pivot turn jump. The transverse plane also showed a significant reduction in the external rotation knee angular velocity when wearing the brace. Discussion: The brace influenced the knee joint kinematics in coronal and transverse planes which confirms that such braces can have a significant effect on knee control during dynamic tasks. Further studies are required exploring the efficacy of proprioceptive braces in athletic patient cohort. Acknowledgements This study is partly founded by Erasmus+ program who have sponsored two masters students. The braces were supplied by DJO Global, Inc. The suppliers played no role in the design, execution, analysis and interpretation of the data or writing of this study.2

The effect of proprioceptive knee bracing on knee stability after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

“…influence knee kinematics during the slow step down. This result is contrary to the findings on healthy individuals [18], which showed a significant decrease in the range of angular velocity values in the transverse plane during slow step down. Selfe et al [14] used the slow step down task to test the effect of taping and a patellofemoral brace and found that both interventions significantly decrease knee valgus and range of motion in the transverse plane in healthy individuals.…”

“…Sample size requirements were calculated from standard two-tailed hypothesis equations using an 80% power (β = 0.20), 5% significance level (α = 0.05), critical values of the t distribution, and data from a previous study [18]. For sample size estimation, two variables which were previously linked with ACL injury were investigated, knee valgus angle and knee internal rotation angle.…”

“…The overall reduction in range of motion in the coronal or transverse planes suggest better knee join stability [24,25]; however, range of motion alone does not necessarily inform us about the control of these movements. For this reason, knee angular velocities were also assessed in accordance with previous studies [18,26] to provide further insights on the dynamic control and stability of the knee joint.…”

“…Both brace and tape decreased the range of motion of the knee in the coronal and transverse planes. In addition, Hanzlíková et al [18], showed the brace significantly decreased valgus and varus motion of the knee during the single leg drop jump in healthy individuals, but this effect was not seen in ACL reconstructed participants. However, a significant increase in maximal knee flexion angular velocity was seen with the brace during the single leg drop jump in ACL reconstructed participants.…”

“…Khadavi et al [17] showed that the Reaction Web Knee Brace reduces knee pain, increases function, and enhances quality of life in individuals with patellofemoral pain. Hanzlíková et al [18] previously determined that this type of bracing changes knee control in healthy individuals during a slow step down movement and two more dynamic sport-related tasks. The aim of this current study was to explore if the Reaction Web Knee Brace can offer important changes in knee control in participants after ACLR during dynamic tasks, and whether these influence subjective ratings.…”