Postural control in patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury

Abstract

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury leads to sensorimotor changes due to lack of information from mechanoreceptors at the ACL. These receptors are an important source of sensory information, affecting the performance of various motor responses, among which postural control. The purpose of this study was to assess postural control in individuals with normal knees and with unilateral ACL injury. Fifteen subjects with ACL injury and 15 healthy young subjects (control group) were submitted to postural control assessment by standing in single-leg stance (both right and left) on a force platform; they stood at the centre of the platform, with eyes closed, remaining in the position for 30 seconds. The force platform provided information on forces and moments along both vertical and horizontal axes, from which was obtained the centre of pressure displacement in anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. Individuals with ACL injury showed greater mean sway amplitude than healthy control ones, suggesting that their deficit in postural control might be due to lack of proprioceptive information. These results have implications for the clinical approach of individuals with ACL injury.