Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction improves the metabolic energy cost of level walking at customary speeds

• Published in: Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA Vol. 19; no. 8; pp. 1271 - 1276
• Main Authors: Colak, Mehmet, Ayan, Irfan, Dal, Ugur, Yaroglu, Turan, Dag, Figen, Yilmaz, Cengiz, Beydagi, Huseyin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-08-2011; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - surgery; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction - methods; Cohort Studies; Energy; Energy cost; Energy Metabolism - physiology; Evaluation; Exercise Test; Fitness equipment; Follow-Up Studies; Gait; Gases; Humans; Kinematics; Knee; Ligaments; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolism; Orthopedics; Oxygen Consumption - physiology; Patients; Physiology; Prospective Studies; scoring; Surgery; Treatment Outcome; Velocity; Walking; Walking - physiology; Young Adult; United States > US; Turkey; Oxygen cost; Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; Gait; Energy expenditure of walking; Anterior cruciate ligament
• ISSN: 0942-2056; 1433-7347
• DOI: 10.1007/s00167-011-1398-z

Purpose
The metabolic energy cost of walking is altered by pathological changes in gait. It is thought that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency alters the energy requirement for level walking through its effect on gait pattern. In this study, it is hypothesised that the metabolic energy cost of walking would improve after ACL reconstruction.
Methods
Eight patients who were undergoing ACL reconstruction for an isolated rupture were included in this prospective study. Clinical examinations, Lysholm scores and metabolic tests were performed preoperatively and at 3, 6 and 12 months after ACL reconstruction using autologous quadruple hamstring tendons. For the metabolic evaluation, net oxygen cost was calculated while walking on a treadmill at 50-, 70- and 90-m/min velocities. A two-way factorial ANOVA was performed in order to evaluate the primary effects and interactions of the time point and velocity variables on net oxygen cost.
Results
All patients had positive Lachman and anterior drawer tests preoperatively that became negative postoperatively and remained negative until the last follow-up point. The mean preoperative Lysholm score was 66, whereas the mean postoperative follow-up scores were 85, 91 and 94, respectively. The interaction between follow-up time point and velocity was not significant. Regardless of the selected velocity, the net oxygen cost was lower than that at preoperative levels at each postoperative time point (
p
 < 0.05).
Conclusion
The results of the present study indicate that the energy cost of level walking in chronic ACL-deficient patients improves after ACL reconstruction. Cause–effect-based studies with correlation evaluations that compare kinetic, kinematic and electromyographic data and metabolic cost calculations should facilitate more accurate analyses.
Level of evidence
Therapeutic study, Level 4.