Sustainable Knee Health
More insight is needed to depict of sensorimotor control deficits after Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury during the rehabilitation phase. This will help to design intervention strategies to fully restore active joint stability.
Factsheet
- Lead school School of Health Professions
- Institute Physiotherapy
- Research unit Neuromuskuläre Kontrolle
- Funding organisation SNSF
- Duration (planned) 01.02.2024 - 31.01.2027
- Project management Prof. Dr. Heiner Baur
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Heiner Baur
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Project staff
Daniela Nyffenegger
Nicole Hutmacher
Aglaja Busch
Prof. Dr. Angela Blasimann Schwarz - Partner Orthopädie Sonnenhof, Kniechirurgie & Sportverletzungen, Dr. Philipp Henle
- Keywords conservative therapy, cortical activity, electromyography, gender, joint stability, knee injury, knee joint, neuromuscular training, reconstructive surgery, return to sport, sensorimotor training, stretch reflex
Situation
The importance of appropriate nerve-muscle interaction for active joint stabilization after an anterior cruciate ligament injury seems undisputed. However, further knowledge is needed about the changes in muscle control during the rehabilitation process and their possible targeted promotion in the therapy process. The project will contribute to the development and testing of precise treatment strategies to restore active joint stability. This is a key factor in preventing re-injury.
Course of action
An injury of the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee is a serious injury in physically active people. Regardless of the therapy chosen, functional deficits persist in a large number of patients at the time of return to full activity - approximately 9-12 months after injury. These functional deficits are due to deficits in "sensorimotor control," (nerve-muscle interaction), which prevent optimal adjustment of active knee joint stability. Therefore, the aims of the project are (1) to investigate the course of these deficits during a 12-month rehabilitation phase. In addition, (2) it will be investigated how these deficits can be treated by targeted therapy programs.
Looking ahead
This will aditionally help to improve rehabilitation and eventually help to reduce secondary injury, which will be evaluated in a long-term implementation study after this project.
