Does knee joint proprioception alter following medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction

Toby O. Smith, Charles J. V. Mann, Simon T. Donell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
This study firstly aimed to determine whether proprioception deficits, as measured by joint position sense (JPS), occur in people following recurrent patellar dislocations. Secondly, to determine whether JPS changes following medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFL) reconstruction for patellar instability.
METHODS:
Thirty people following recurrent patellar dislocation were recruited. Pre-operative JPS was assessed using the passive angle reproduction test. Through this, an assessor moved a participant's limb to a target position. This was returned to neutral, before finally moving the limb again, whilst requiring the participant to indicate when they thought the target angle was reached. The actual angular error (AAE) was calculated as the difference between the perceived angle and target angle. Clinical outcomes included the Kujala Patellofemoral Disorder Score, the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form, pain, knee motion, extensor muscle strength and frequency of patellar dislocation. Outcomes were assessed pre-operative, 6weeks, 3 and 12months.
RESULTS:
Mean AAE was 2.2° (inner range) to 3.9° (mid-range); this was not clinically significant. There was no statistically significant difference between the baseline-and-6week, 6week-and-3month or baseline-and-12month AAE measures (p=0.38 to 1.00). There was a statistically significant improvement in functional outcomes as measured by the Kujala score, IKDC form, reduced pain and increased extension strength from baseline to 12months (p<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS:
Following recurrent patellar dislocation, patients exhibit minimal deficits in JPS. Whilst MPFL reconstruction significantly improved clinical and functional outcomes for this population, this operation did not significantly alter JPS during the first post-operative year.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)21-27
Number of pages7
JournalThe Knee
Volume21
Issue number1
Early online date17 Oct 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2014

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