Knee joint movements in subjects without knee pathology and subjects with injured anterior cruciate ligaments

Background and Purpose. Although weight-bearing (WB) exercise and increased hamstring muscle activity may contribute to knee joint stability in knees with an injured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the relationship among ACL integrity, muscle activity, and joint surface motion is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether knee joint rolling and gliding movements and electromyographic (EMG) activity differed between subjects with injured ACLs and subjects without knee pathology. Subjects. Fifteen subjects with injured ACLs (9 men and 6 women; mean age=26 years, SD=7, range=18-36) and 15 age- and sex-matched subjects without knee pathology (9 men and 6 women; mean age=25 years, SD=6, range=18-36) participated in the study. Methods. Sagittal-plane knee joint rolling and gliding movements and lower-extremity EMG activity were measured during non-weight-bearing (NWB) and WB movements. Mixed-model analyses of variance were conducted to analyze rolling and gliding and EMG data. Results. During NWB knee extension, greater joint surface gliding occurred in knees with injured ACLs at full knee extension. During WB knee extension, greater gliding occurred in knees with injured ACLs throughout the range of motion tested. No differences in EMG activity occurred between groups. Discussion and Conclusion. The results suggest that, in the absence of increased hamstring muscle activity, anterior tibial displacement is not reduced in knees with injured ACLs during WB movement.