Comparison of Knee Proprioception between Athletes with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury and Healthy Athletes

Abstract

Introduction: In addition to the instability of the knee joint, injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) leads to a functional deficit in the form of diminished proprioception of the knee joint. The purpose of this study was to compare knee proprioception in athletes with an ACL injury and healthy athletes. Materials and Methods: The participants in this cross-sectional study were 26 athletes with an ACL injury and 24 healthy athletes who were selected from the orthopedic clinic at Baqiyatallah Hospital in 2019, Tehran City, Iran. Cooper or non-Cooper subjects with ACL injury were identified via the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS). The knee proprioception of all participants was recorded using a system consisting of digital photography, non-reflective markers, and Digimizer software. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between groups in the absolute error of knee joint reconstruction at both 45° and 90° angles. Conclusion: The data of the study showed that in comparison with healthy athletes, the knee joint proprioception of athletes with an ACL injury is not different and has the same function.

Keywords

• Proprioception
• Anterior cruciate ligament
• Athletes