Gait retraining after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effects of 2 gait retraining protocols on the gait patterns of patients with bone-patellar tendon-bone anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

DESIGN

Randomized control, repeated-measures design.

SETTING

Private orthopedic center and research facility.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixteen patients with bone-patellar tendon-bone ACL reconstruction, randomly subdivided into 2 groups (group 1, n=8; group 2, n=8), and a healthy control group of 8 subjects.

INTERVENTION: The 16 subjects with ACL reconstruction were randomly assigned to 2 different gait retraining protocols over a 6-week training interval: (1). a protocol using a predicted stride frequency calculated from the resonant frequency of a force-driven harmonic oscillator (FDHO) model or (2). a protocol using the preferred stride frequency (PSF).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gait analyses examining the lower-extremity kinematic, kinetic, and energetic gait patterns of each group.

RESULTS

Gait retraining with the FDHO model showed improvements in lower-extremity positions, hip and knee extensor angular impulse, and work parameters. Gait retraining with the PSF demonstrated no statistical improvements. The FDHO training protocol facilitated a greater midstance knee range of motion (ROM) and greater rates of improvement for midstance ROM, hip extensor angular impulse, and concentric hip extensor work.

CONCLUSIONS

Gait retraining with the resonant frequency of an FDHO model facilitated a greater recovery of gait function compared with training with the PSF.