Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05712109

Changes in the Force-velocity Relationship of Knee Muscles After ACL Reconstruction

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is a frequent and devastating injury in sport, especially in pivoting-contact disciplines. In many cases, athletes will undergo an ACL reconstruction (ACL-R) for recovering knee stability, preventing further injuries and returning to sport (RTS). Among the criteria for RTS, knee muscle strength is the most used objective criteria and especially the symmetry of knee flexors and/or extensors between the operated and uninjured knee.

Isokinetic testing of knee muscle strength is considered as a reference for knee muscle testing during the follow up stages after ACL-R. This evaluation allows to measure the strength (torque) of knee flexors and extensors at several angular velocities. However, there is no relevant litterature about the force-velocity (Fo-v) relationship of knee flexors and extensors after ACL-R.

The present study aimed to evaluate and test the differences between the Fo-v relationship parameters between the operated and uninjured knees at 4 months and 8 months after ACL-R, using the 2-points method with isokinetic testing. Also, the investigators aimed to test the impact of the type of surgery (patellar tendon autograft vs. hamstring tendon autograft) on the Fo-v relationship after ACL-R

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries Knee Injuries Leg Injuries Muscle Weakness Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Neuromuscular Manifestations Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Wounds and Injuries

Age range

16 year–55 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

CHU Caen Normandie

Caen, 14000, France

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients who have had an ACL reconstruction surgery (isolated or associated with other meniscal or ligamentary surgery)
  • Patient included in the sport medicine follow-up protocole with intermediate and final isokinetic muscular assessment at 4 months and8 months after surgery respectively
  • Patients who completed both tests at the 60°/s and 240°/s velocities

Exclusion criteria

  • Patient who did not participate in all follow-up consultations and isokinetic muscular assessments
  • Cognitive or sensory impairment making it impossible to understand the information form
  • Neurological, traumatic or osteoarticular history responsible for muscle imbalance prior to surgery

Treatment and study plan

Follow-up after Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Other

The patients were referred to the sport medicine department for the post ACL-R follow-up including isokinetic knee muscle strength evaluations at 4 months and 8.months after the surgery

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in strength

    Time frame: Time Frame: ACL group: Two evaluations on both injured and healthy knees: (1) 4 months after surgery and (2) 8 months after surgery; Routine practice following guidelines

    Measurement of knee extensors and flexors peak strength (in newton.meter, Nm) on isokinetic dynamometer at two angular velocities of 60°/s and 240°/s respectively

  2. Change in the force-velocity relationship

    Time frame: Time Frame: ACL group: Two evaluations on both injured and healthy knees: (1) 4 months after surgery and (2) 8 months after surgery; Routine practice following guidelines

    Calculation of the corresponding slope and maximal force (Y-intercept) of the regression line of the force-velocity curve

Secondary outcomes

  1. Individual characteristics

    Time frame: Time Frame: ACL group: Two evaluations on both injured and healthy knees: (1) 4 months after surgery and (2) 8 months after surgery; Routine practice following guidelines

    Personal characteristics recorded in the medical report as age, gender, type of sport and sport level of practice and return to sport after the surgery

  2. Injury characteristics

    Time frame: Time Frame: ACL group: Two evaluations on both injured and healthy knees: (1) 4 months after surgery and (2) 8 months after surgery; Routine practice following guidelines

    Injury characteristics recorded in the medical report as the type of injury (ACL only, ACL and meniscus, ACL with other ligament injury, recurrent ACL injury) the time before surgery, the type of rehabilitation before and after surgery

  3. Surgery characteristics

    Time frame: Time Frame: ACL group: Two evaluations on both injured and healthy knees: (1) 4 months after surgery and (2) 8 months after surgery; Routine practice following guidelines

    Surgery characteristics recorded in the medical report as the type of surgery, the surgery duration and tourniquet time

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Caen

Other

Registry information

Acronym: FoVeA

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2023
First posted
Feb 3, 2023
Registry last updated
Mar 26, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.