Effects of a prophylactic knee sleeve on anterior cruciate ligament loading during sport specific movements

Abstract

CONTEXT: Prophylactic knee bracing is extensively utilized in athletic populations, to reduce the high risk from knee injuries, but their role in the attenuation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) pathologies is not well understood.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current investigation was to investigate the effects of a prophylactic knee sleeve on ACL loading parameters linked to the aetiology of injury in recreational athletes.

SETTING: Laboratory.

DESIGN: Repeated measures.

PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen healthy male recreational athletes. Intervention Participants performed run, cut and single leg hop movements under two conditions; prophylactic knee sleeve and no-sleeve.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Biomechanical data was captured using an eight-camera 3D motion capture system and a force platform. Peak ACL force, average ACL load rate and instantaneous ACL load rate were quantified using a musculoskeletal modelling approach.

RESULTS: The results showed that both average and instantaneous ACL load rates were significantly reduced when wearing the knee sleeve in the hop (sleeve = 612.45/ 1286.39N/kg/s & no-sleeve = 743.91/ 1471.42 N/kg/s) and cut (sleeve = 222.55/ 1058.02 N/kg/s & no-sleeve = 377.38/ 1183.01 N/kg/s) movements.

CONCLUSIONS: Given the biomechanical association between ACL loading and the aetiology of ACL injuries, it is proposed that athletes may be able to attenuate their risk from injury during cut and hop movements through utilization of a prophylactic knee sleeve.