Motor control performance in the Tower extremity: normals vs. anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed knees 5-8 years from the index surgery

We compared motor control function in 50 patients who had undergone anterio r cruciate ligament reconstruction using a bone-tendon-bone graft to that i n 50 normal controls. Surgical subjects patients had undergone reconstructi on with a one-(n=37) or two-incision (n=13) technique with the same rehabil itation protocol; mean time from the index surgery was 6.1 years (range of 5-8 years). For inclusion patients required an excellent outcome, category A IKDC score, and a KT-1000 side-to-side difference of 3 mm or less. Motor control evaluations were conducted using the KAT 2000 with static and dynam ic tests. Normal controls had substantially better scores than did the surg ical patients. There was no statistical difference the single-limb static t est between scores of operated and nonoperated limbs. However, the operated limb scores were slightly better overall than these for the nonoperated li mb, and the right knee scores tended to be better than these for the left k nee. This may be explained by limb dominance. The test method employed in t his investigation shows that anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed patie nts had a clear motor control deficit compared to normal control subjects e ven after several years.