Photo Credit: Kzenon

During the first year after primary unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), gait becomes more symmetrical, but aberrant gait biomechanics can persist in the ACLR limb and the uninvolved limb, according to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research. The researchers compared gait biomechanics between limbs and with matched uninjured controls preoperatively and at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months after primary unilateral ACLR. Compared with the uninvolved limb, the ACLR limb demonstrated lesser knee extension moment (KEM; within 8% to 37% range of stance) during early stance, lesser knee flexion moment (45% to 84%), and greater knee flexion angle (KFA; 43% to 90%) during mid to late stance at all time points. The ACLR limb demonstrated lesser vertical ground reaction force (vGRF; 5% to 26%), lesser KEM (7% to 47%), and lesser knee adduction moment (12% to 35%) during early stance compared with controls and had greater vGRF (39% to 63%) and greater KFA (34% to 95%) during mid to late stance at all time points. The researchers emphasized the need for early rehabilitative measures to normalize gait after ACLR.