Evaluation of Isokinetic Single-Leg Cycling as a Rehabilitation Exercise Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery

Authors

Randolph Hutchison, Furman UniversityFollow
Jessica Myers, Clemson University
Nicholas Hayden, Furman University
Lee Shearer, Furman University
Kaitlin Bruneau, Furman University
John D. DesJardins, Clemson University

Document Type

Article (Journal or Newsletter)

Scholarship Type

Faculty Scholarship, Student Scholarship

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, with over 250,000 injuries per year in the United States. Previous studies have found that ACL-deficient individuals avoid use of the quadriceps in the injured limb as a means of limiting anterior movement of the tibia in the absence of a functioning ACL. From these results, a study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of isokinetic single-leg cycling in increasing quadriceps muscle recruitment and activation. Ten control and seven ACL-reconstructed subjects completed a series of 15 s cycling trials in isokinetic mode at 75 rpm, while kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic data of the lower limbs were collected, with the trials including both double-leg and single-leg cycling. It was hypothesized that there would be an increase in quadriceps muscle activity, peak knee extensor moment, and knee joint power in single-leg cycling when compared to double-leg cycling. The results of the study suggest that single-leg cycling may be an effective exercise in increasing the strength of the quadriceps following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. Although no significant changes occurred, the results indicate that, given a specific limb power, more muscle force will be generated from the quadriceps muscle group in single-leg cycling than double-leg cycling.

Comments

Published in J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2017, 2(3), 32; doi:10.3390/jfmk2030032

Additional Affiliated Department, Center or Institute

Health Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Hutchison, R.; Myers, J.; Hayden, N.; Shearer, L.; Bruneau, K.; DesJardins, J.D. Evaluation of Isokinetic Single-Leg Cycling as a Rehabilitation Exercise Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery. J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2017, 2(3), 32.