Background A rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common injury with a high
risk of secondary rupture. Despite the completion of rehabilitation and clearance
for a full return to sport, sensorimotor alterations have been observed to persist
during different activities, even years after ACL reconstruction. Current rehabilitation
schemes do not seem to fully restore those alterations.
Objectives The objective is to assess whether a specific sensorimotor training can alter sensorimotor
deficits in persons after ACL reconstruction.
Design Randomized controlled trial protocol.
Methods 50 participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention or a control or a group.
The intervention consists of 16 training sessions with two sessions per week in a
one-to-one-setting with a trained physiotherapist. It is based on the current evidence
regarding sensorimotor training and incorporates the principles of motor learning,
aiming to enhance the utilization of unconscious movement. Neuromuscular control will
be examined during single leg stance, artificial tibia translation and single leg
jumps and quantified with recordings of the neuromuscular and electrical cortical
activity as well as time to stabilization. The baseline measurement will be conducted
9 to 10 months after ACL reconstruction, with the follow-up measurement scheduled
eight weeks later.
Discussion The study will aim to address the knowledge gap on the sensorimotor effects of a
specifically targeted rehabilitation program to optimize current rehabilitation schemes.
We hypothesize that, following an ACL reconstruction, individuals in the intervention
group will demonstrate neuromuscular control more similar to that of healthy individuals
compared to those in the control group without specific sensorimotor training.
