Range of motion and angular velocity analysis during landing from different heights, of the lower limb joints in patients with reconstructed anterior cruciate ligaments

Aims and Anterior cruciate ligament injury is the most common ligament injury of the lower limb that necessitates reconstruction as a proper treatment approach. It is now up to the researchers to ask, are the altered kinematic patterns in the lower limbs corrected by this reconstruction? The present study aims to analyze the range of motion and angular velocity of the lower limb joints in patients with reconstructed Anterior cruciate ligaments during landing. 20 male subjects who participated voluntarily were divided into 2 groups. One group consisted of healthy subjects (control) the other of patients with reconstructed Anterior cruciate ligament (experimental). They were evaluated in 3 assignments: landing from a box, a vertical jump-landing, and a jump from an obstacle-landing. 3-Dimensional kinematics of the range of motion and angular velocity of the lower limb joints were recorded using 4 cameras and processed by visual 3D software. Findings: In the sagittal plane, the experimental group’s knee and hip joints range of motion was less than the control group (p=0.00) The ankle joint was more (p≤0.05) than the control group. In per 3 planes, the experimental group’s ankle and knee joints angular velocity was lower than the control group. The hip joint was higher than the control group (p≤0.05). In most cases, both variables showed the smallest value in the landing from the box task and the highest value in the jump from obstacle-landing task (p≤0.05). During complex tasks such as landing, patients exhibit altered kinematic patterns that are followed by compensatory mechanisms in adjacent joints. These altered patterns will persist for at least 2 years after the Anterior cruciate ligament is reconstructed. These patients, in the absence of care, are at risk for Anterior cruciate ligament re-injury and prone to develop knee osteoarthritis in future.