HOW MUCH VOLUMETRIC AND STRENGTH LOSS OF THE QUADRICEPS FEMORAL MUSCLE IS EXPECTED IN THE POST-OPERATIVE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ANTERIOR CRUCIATED LIGAMENT?

Abstract

Introduction: When injured and/or reconstructed the anterior cruciate ligament, not only occurs decrease in strength, but also less contraction of the quadriceps, in addition to muscle atrophy. Magnetic resonance imaging and isokinetic dynamometry have offered better evaluation of the pre- and post-surgical periods and can better monitor and predict postoperative rehabilitation.

Objectives: To review the role of volume and strength of the quadriceps femoris muscle before and after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament and how these measurements correlate with the predictive variables of pre- and postoperative muscle strength.

Method: Integrative review collecting information on virtual platforms. The texts were selected from SciELO, Google Scholar, Pubmed and Scopus. The descriptors related to the topic were the following: anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; magnetic resonance imaging; quadriceps muscle in Portuguese and English with AND or OR search, considering the title and/or abstract.

Results: The entire selected texts were read and 61 articles were included.

Conclusion: A loss of volume and strength of the quadriceps muscle was observed after reconstruction. The loss of strength was 4 times greater than the preoperative volume and 2 times greater postoperatively, with improvement 4 months after the operation.