A novel home-based rehabilitative knee brace system is a viable option for postoperative rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a report of 15 cases

Abstract

Purpose To investigate the functional outcomes for patients who used a novel home-based rehabilitative system during the postoperative period after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions. Methods Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction surgeries were prospectively enrolled. A home-based rehabilitation system, which is composed of a knee brace with a motion tracker, a mobile app, and a web portal, was applied. Patients could complete the rehabilitation exercise through the audio guidance and the real-time tracking system which displayed the achieved motions on the user interface of the app. Feedbacks from the patients, including the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores, were collected and uploaded to the web portal. Each patient would meet a specialized physical therapist face-to-face once a month. At postoperative 6 months, every patient received a GNRB arthrometer examination and a Cybex isokinetic dynamometer examination. Results A total of 15 patients (10 males and 5 females) were enrolled and followed for at least 6 months. The mean time of return to full knee extension was 1.5 months. The mean difference in laxity measured by GNRB arthrometer at 134 N significantly improved at postoperative 6 months (1.8 ± 1.6 mm) compared to that measured preoperatively (3.4 ± 1.9 mm) (p = 0.024). The peak torques of flexor and extensor muscles measured by Cybex isokinetic dynamometer remained unchanged at postoperative 6 months (p = 0.733 and 0.394, respectively). The patients’ IKDC score became smaller at postoperative 1 month (p = 0.011) and significantly improved at postoperative 6 months (p = 0.002). Conclusion Using a home-based rehabilitative knee brace system after ACL reconstruction is a viable option as patients maintained their knee muscle strengths maintained their muscle strength and achieve similar or better knee range of motion six months postoperatively.

Impact of COVID-19 Era on the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review

“…In line with these findings, a study by Hong et al [70] reported intriguing implications for integrating telemonitoring devices in home-based rehabilitation programs. Interestingly, the authors included 15 patients undergoing ACL reconstruction followed by a home-based rehabilitation program telemonitored by a knee brace with a motion tracker, a mobile app, and a web portal.…”

“…Patients completed the rehabilitation exercise with the support of audio guidance and the real-time tracking system, which displayed the achieved motions on the user interface of the app. Six months after surgery, the authors reported that the home-based rehabilitative knee brace system might be considered a viable option to strictly assess knee muscle strengths and achieve knee range of motion outcomes [70]. Moreover, Fayard et al [71] reported that self-rehabilitation application focusing on flexion contracture control and quadriceps recovery in the first 6 weeks after ACL reconstruction provides similar results to a rehabilitation protocol by an independent physiotherapist.…”

The effects of different rehabilitation training modalities on isokinetic muscle function and male athletes’ psychological status after anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions

“…The required sample size was calculated with G*Power (Version 3.1, University of Dusseldorf, Germany) [ 16 ]. The a priori power analysis was computed with an assumed power of 0.95, an alpha level of 0.01, and an effect size of Cohen’s Cohen’s f = 0.53) for the IKDC scores [ 17 ]. The analysis revealed that a total sample size of N = 32 would be sufficient to detect a significant group-by-time interaction effect.…”