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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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ARTHROMETRIC EVALUATION OF STABILIZING EFFECT OF KNEE FUNCTIONAL BRACING AT DIFFERENT FLEXION ANGLES |
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Saeedeh Seyed Mohseni1  ,
Farzam Farahmand2, Hossein Karimi3 and Mohammad Kamali4 |
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1Rehabilitation Research Center, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2School of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, RCSTIM, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 3Physiotherapy Department, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE, 4School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2009) 8, 247 - 251 Search Google Scholar for Citing Articles |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| Previous in-vivo investigations on the stabilizing efficacy of
knee bracing for ACL reconstructed patients have been often limited to 20-30
degrees of knee flexion. In this study, the effectiveness of a uniaxial
hinged functional brace to improve the knee stability was assessed at 30,
60 and 90 degrees of knee flexion. Arthrometry tests were conducted on 15
healthy subjects before and following wearing the brace and the tibial displacements
were measured at up to 150 N anterior forces. Results indicated that functional
bracing has a significant stabilizing effect throughout the range of knee
flexion examined (p < 0.05). The rate of effectiveness, however, was
not consistent across the flexion range, e.g., 50% at 30 degrees and only
4% at 90 degrees. It was suggested that accurate sizing and fitting as well
as attention to correct hinge placement relative to the femoral condyles
can limit brace migration and improve its effectiveness in mid and deep
knee flexion. With using adaptive limb fittings, through flexible pads,
and a polycentric joint a more significant improvement of the overall brace
performance and efficacy might be obtained.
Key words: Functional brace, knee, ACL injury, instability, arthrometery. |
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