Nemati Z, Sanjari M A, Jalali M, Bagherifard A. The Effect of the Hybrid Knee Brace on Kinesiophobia, Joint Position Sense, and Coping Ability after Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture: A Pilot Randomized Trial. jrehab 2025; 25 (4)
URL:
http://rehabilitationj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3415-en.html
1- School of paramedical and rehabilitation sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
2- School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Basic Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
3- School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. , jalali.m@iums.ac.ir
4- Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, Bone and Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Shafa Yahyaeian Orthopedics Hospital, Iran, University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract: (2535 Views)
Objectives: After anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, copers have better neuromuscular control and kinesiophobia than non-copers. Using a knee brace can improve mechanical stability and proprioception after an injury. This study aims to determine the effect of using a hybrid knee brace in acute ACL rupture on coping ability, kinesiophobia, and proprioception.
Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial study, 30 people with acute ACL rupture were allocated into two experimental (age: 29.6±7.7, time since injury: 37.7±20.7 days) and control groups (age: 27.8 ± 7.0, time since injury: 48.0 ± 21.3 days). The sampling method was Nonprobability, convenient sampling which was randomly assigned to two control and intervention groups using permutation blocks (four blocks of four). The experimental group used the hybrid knee brace for 4 weeks during daily activities for 4 hours a day along with the routine physiotherapy of this group of patients. The physiotherapy program included increasing the range of motion of the knee, reducing edema, and strengthening exercises for the quadriceps and hamstring muscles, which were performed by an experienced therapist for both groups in 10 sessions. After one month, the coping ability was measured by screening examination, kinesiophobia was measured by the Tampa scale (TSK-11), and proprioception was assessed by joint position sense measurement by dynamometer. Mixed within-between analysis of variance was used to evaluate the variables. The statistical analysis was performed by SPSS17 and with a significant level of 0.05.
Results: After the intervention period, seven people in the experimental group (53.8%) and three people in the control group (23.1%) were copers based on the screening examination. However, the difference between the two groups was not significant. Regarding joint position sense, the experimental group had less deviation from the target angle (3.22 ± 1.55) than the control group (6.32 ± 1.70) (p<0.001). The score of the Tampa questionnaire improved in both groups (p < 0.001) without any significant difference between them.
Conclusion: Using a hybrid knee brace after an acute ACL injury can increase proprioception and coping ability in this group of patients and may reduce the need for ligament reconstruction surgery.
Type of Study:
Original |
Subject:
Orthotics & Prosthetics Received: 12/12/2023 | Accepted: 22/04/2024 | Published: 28/02/2025