1- Department of Sports Biomechanics, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2- Department of Sports Biomechanics, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran ,amiralijafarnezhad@gmail.com
3- Department of Surgery and Orthopedics, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
2- Department of Sports Biomechanics, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran ,
3- Department of Surgery and Orthopedics, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
Abstract: (29 Views)
Objective: Even after undergoing surgical treatment, anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed (ACLR) individuals continue to show restricted mobility across the short-, medium-, and long-term recovery windows. The present systematic review with meta-analysis set out to examine kinematics of knee joint in the anteroposterior plane across the various phases of gait in this population relative to healthy controls, and to track how gait kinematics change over the postoperative timeline.
Materials & Methods: Records were retrieved from five electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and PEDro spanning their entire indexing history through May 2026. Studies comparing gait biomechanics between ACLR patients and healthy individuals were retained and grouped by time since surgery into short- (0 to less than 6 months), medium- (6 to less than 12 months), and long-term (over 12 months) categories. Biomechanical variables from the walking stance phase were drawn from each eligible study, and in order to rate study quality, a modified Downs and Black checklist was used.
Results: Sixteen studies, with an average methodological quality score of 69%, met the inclusion criteria. Regardless of the time since surgery, patients with ACLR demonstrated a smaller knee flexion at the loading phase than healthy controls (P = 0.004). Also, in the medium- (P = 0.03) and long (P = 0.009) terms postoperative periods, the knee flexion angle compared with the healthy individuals remained lower .
Conclusion: Findings of the present systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that patients following ACLR exhibited reduced knee joint flexion at the loading phase of stance than that healthy individuals. The persistence of reduced knee flexion during the medium- and long-term follow-up periods after ACLR suggests incomplete restoration of normal gait patterns and the continuation of knee biomechanical abnormalities in ACLR patients. These results highlight the necessity of developing phase-specific and targeted rehabilitation programs to correct knee joint motion limitations following ACLR.
Materials & Methods: Records were retrieved from five electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and PEDro spanning their entire indexing history through May 2026. Studies comparing gait biomechanics between ACLR patients and healthy individuals were retained and grouped by time since surgery into short- (0 to less than 6 months), medium- (6 to less than 12 months), and long-term (over 12 months) categories. Biomechanical variables from the walking stance phase were drawn from each eligible study, and in order to rate study quality, a modified Downs and Black checklist was used.
Results: Sixteen studies, with an average methodological quality score of 69%, met the inclusion criteria. Regardless of the time since surgery, patients with ACLR demonstrated a smaller knee flexion at the loading phase than healthy controls (P = 0.004). Also, in the medium- (P = 0.03) and long (P = 0.009) terms postoperative periods, the knee flexion angle compared with the healthy individuals remained lower .
Conclusion: Findings of the present systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that patients following ACLR exhibited reduced knee joint flexion at the loading phase of stance than that healthy individuals. The persistence of reduced knee flexion during the medium- and long-term follow-up periods after ACLR suggests incomplete restoration of normal gait patterns and the continuation of knee biomechanical abnormalities in ACLR patients. These results highlight the necessity of developing phase-specific and targeted rehabilitation programs to correct knee joint motion limitations following ACLR.
Type of Study: Systematic Review |
Subject:
Sport Pathology and Corrective Movements
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This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 (CC-By-NC 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
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