The new injuries’ risk after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction might be reduced with functional training addition

Abstract

Purpose: The goal of our study was to evaluate if functional training may lower a new injury risk for patients who had an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) through the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) Scoring System. The hypothesis tested was that our functional training algorithm might diminish this new injury risk. Methods: Our training protocol consisted of six phases, each one lasting six weeks. It began two months after ligament reconstruction. The study group was compounded of 10 individuals who had completed our proposed protocol after ACLR. The control group consisted of 10 people who were allowed to return to sports activities after completing a regular ACLR rehabilitation protocol. The FMS was used to compare the study and control group performance. Patients with a score of 14 or less on the FMS were considered more likely to suffer an injury than those with a score higher than fourteen.

Results: The average FMS score of the study group was 16.6 compared to the control group at 12.3. Functional training for ACLR rehabilitation added a statistically significant benefit (p < 0,0002) to diminish the risk of new injury, compared to regular rehabilitation protocol.

Conclusion: Functional training can be considered another strategy to be included in the regular ACLR rehabilitation, aiming to reduce the risk of a new injury, before returning to sports. Level of Evidence: II (Therapeutic study - Investigation of treatment results)