Additional sensory information reduces body sway of individuals with anterior cruciate ligament injury

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 2008-08, Vol.441 (3), p.257-260
• Main Authors: Bonfim, Thatia Regina, Grossi, Débora Bevilaqua, Paccola, Cleber Antonio Jansen, Barela, José Angelo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Additional sensory information; Adolescent; Adult; Anterior cruciate ligament; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - innervation; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - physiopathology; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Biological and medical sciences; Body sway; Cues; Feedback - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Knee Injuries - complications; Knee Injuries - pathology; Knee Injuries - physiopathology; Light touch; Male; Postural Balance - physiology; Postural control; Proprioception - physiology; Sensory Deprivation - physiology; Somatosensory Disorders - etiology; Somatosensory Disorders - physiopathology; Somatosensory Disorders - rehabilitation; Touch - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.06.039

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the additional sensory information could improve postural control in individuals with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Twenty-eight individuals with unilateral ACL injury (mean age 23.6, 26 males, 2 females) and 28 healthy young control subjects (mean age 22.1 years, 26 males, 2 females) participated in this study. Postural control was evaluated with subjects single-leg standing on a force platform with eyes closed under two sensory conditions: normal sensory information and light touch to a stationary bar (applied force below 1 N). Three trials of 30 s were performed in each single-leg stance and in each sensory condition. Mean sway amplitude and predominant frequency of center of pressure were calculated for both anterior–posterior and medial–lateral directions. Individuals with ACL injury showed greater mean sway amplitude than healthy control individuals even though the predominant frequency was similar for both groups. Additional sensory information improved postural control performance in individuals with ACL injury and healthy control, with a greater effect observed for the ACL group. Based on these results, we suggest that reduction in postural control performance in individuals with ACL injury would be due to the reduction of sensory information provided by the ACL, but when sensory information is enhanced, postural control performance improves. These results have implications for novel approaches to improve stability in individuals with ACL injury.