Effectiveness of single leg standing up exercise for recovery of knee muscle strength and lower extremity motion function following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Abstract

Purpose: We investigated the effectiveness of single-leg standing exercise (SLSE) as a home-based self-exercise for the recovery of knee joint muscle strength and lower limb motor function after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods: In addition to postoperative rehabilitation, 55 patients who underwent ACL repair were asked to begin SLSE as a home-based self-exercise 50 times per day using a platform elevated at 40 ​cm for 2 months, 30 ​cm at 3 months, 20 ​cm at 4 months, and 10 ​cm at 5 months (intervention group). Sixty-four patients who underwent ACL reconstruction and followed the existing rehabilitation protocol were included in the control group. Isokinetic knee extension and flexion at 60° angular velocity at 3, 8, and 10 months after surgery and lower limb motor function performance at 8 and 10 months after surgery were compared within and between the two groups. Results: Knee extension and flexion muscle strength and lower-extremity motor function recovered over time in both groups. There were no significant differences in knee extension and flexion muscle strength between the two groups at 3 months after surgery. However, knee extension strength, flexion strength, and triple hop test (THT) results were significantly higher in the intervention group (p ​< ​0.01) 8 months after surgery. In addition, knee flexion strength and THT were significantly higher in the intervention group (p ​< ​0.01) 10 months after surgery. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that SLSE can be an effective exercise for recovering knee joint muscle strength and lower limb motor function.

Keywords

• Postoperative rehabilitation
• Single-leg standing exercise
• Home-based self-exercise
• Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction