Whole Body Vibration Acutely Decreases Medial Tibiofemoral Contact Force During Walking Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Whole-body vibration (WBV) significantly decreased peak medial tibiofemoral contact force during walking in individuals following ACLR.

• Mean difference = -0.219, p = 0.001, d = -0.643
• WBV group: n = 25, time since ACLR = 27 ± 15 months
• Effect size was moderate (Cohen's d = -0.643)
• Biomechanics were assessed before and immediately following the WBV intervention

Local muscle vibration (LMV) did not alter peak medial tibiofemoral contact force during walking.

• LMV group: n = 23, time since ACLR = 31 ± 16 months
• No statistically significant change in medial contact force following LMV (p > 0.05)
• LMV was compared against control (n = 21, time since ACLR = 23 ± 15 months) using 2 × 3 repeated measure ANCOVAs

Peak lateral tibiofemoral contact force, total tibiofemoral contact force, and quadriceps forces were not significantly altered by either WBV or LMV.

• All comparisons for lateral contact, total contact, and quadriceps forces yielded p > 0.05
• Quadriceps forces assessed included rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and vastus lateralis
• This null finding applied to both WBV and LMV interventions
• Analyses controlled for gait speed and time since ACLR

The study design randomized ACLR participants into three groups and used musculoskeletal modeling to estimate tibiofemoral contact and muscle forces during walking.

• Participants were randomized to control (n = 21), WBV (n = 25), or LMV (n = 23) groups
• All participants had unilateral, primary ACLR
• Walking biomechanics were assessed before and immediately following the respective interventions
• Statistical analyses used 2 × 3 repeated measure ANCOVAs controlling for gait speed and time since ACLR

Greater medial tibiofemoral contact forces during gait have been implicated in the development of osteoarthritis, and individuals with ACLR often exhibit limb overloading in later stages of recovery.

• Individuals with ACLR often exhibit signs of limb overloading particularly beyond 2 years post-ACLR
• Greater medial contact forces are linked to idiopathic osteoarthritis development
• ACLR individuals face high risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA)
• WBV is proposed as a targeted strategy to reduce PTOA risk in those who overload the ACLR limb