Neuroplastic changes in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction patients from neuromechanical decoupling

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to identify how the brain simultaneously perceives proprioceptive input during joint loading in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) patients, when compared to healthy controls. Seventeen ACLR patients (ACLR) and seventeen controls (CONT) were tested for the somatosensory cortical activation using electroencephalography (EEG) while measuring knee laxity using a knee arthrometer. The relationship between cortical activation and joint laxity within group was also examined. The ACLR patients had increased cortical activation (36.4%  ± 11.5%) in the somatosensory cortex during early loading (ERD1) to the injured limb compared to the CONT's matched limb (25.3% ± 13.2%,P = 0.013) as well as compared to the noninjured limb (25.1% ± 14.2%,P = 0.001). Higher somatosensory cortical activity during midloading (ERD2) to the ACLR knee positively correlated with knee laxity (mm) during early loading (LAX1,r = 0.530), midloading (LAX2,r = 0.506), total anterior loading (LAXA,r = 0.543), and total antero‐posterior loading (LAXT,r = 0.501), while the noninjured limb revealed negative correlations between ERD1 and LAXA (r = −0.534) as well as between ERD2 and LAX2 (r = −0.565). ACLR patients demonstrate greater brain activation during joint loading in the injured knees when compared to healthy controls’ matched knees as well as contralateral healthy knees, while the CONT group shows similar brain activation patt...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports - Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research