Lower Limb Asymmetry Among Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructed Individuals

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are highly prominent with a majority requiring surgical reconstruction. Following ACL reconstruction, a lengthy rehabilitation progresses the patient through exercises to regain strength, balance, range of motion, and proprioception in order to regain sufficient functionality. This functional return is critical; however, asymmetrical strength may develop due to pain and/or strength loss post-injury and may inhibit full, correct functional return. As asymmetry develops, the weaker limb cannot produce and/or absorb the same amount of force as the stronger limb. This increases the force placed on the ACL and can lead to a re-rupture and/or increases the cartilage degradation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in leg press strength between patients with a unilateral ACL reconstruction versus healthy controls. Two groups, one-time ACL reconstructed group and a healthy group, completed the International knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Questionnaire, the ACL-RSI, the Knee Injury Outcome and Osteoarthritis Survey (KOOS), the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), and performed three sets at 30%, 50%, and 70% of their one repetition maximum on a leg press device. Eight participants, all which are females and participate in soccer either at the collegiate athlete level or collegiate coaching status, completed the subjective functionality scores and the leg press testing with analysis pending. We hypothesize that we will find ACL reconstructed individuals will have greater limb asymmetry compared to the healthy controls and those with greater limb asymmetry will display lower subjective knee function scores