HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fleming, B. C. Articles by Peura, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fleming, B. C. Articles by Peura, G. Related Collections Biomechanics

The Influence of Functional Knee Bracing on the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Strain Biomechanics in Weightbearing and Nonweightbearing Knees

Braden C. Fleming, PhD^*,, Per A. Renstrom, MD, PhD, Bruce D. Beynnon, PhD^*, Bjorn Engstrom, MD, PhD and Glenn Peura, MS^*

Section of Sports Medicine, Division of Orthopaedics, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
^* McClure Musculoskeletal Research Center, Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Braden C. Fleming, PhD, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, McClure Musculoskeletal Research Center, Robert T. Stafford Hall, Room 426A, Burlington, VT 05405-0084

Functional knee braces are commonly prescribed after anterior cruciate ligament injury or reconstruction; however, their ability to protect the ligament, or graft, remains unclear. Our objective was to evaluate the anterior cruciate ligament strain response in braced and unbraced knees during weightbearing and nonweightbearing in combination with three externally applied loads: 1) anterior-posterior shear forces, 2) internal-external torques, and 3) varus-valgus moments. The Legend brace was tested. All external loads were applied to the tibia with the knee flexed to 20°. Reproducible data were obtained from 11 subjects. For anterior shear loads up to 130 N, the brace significantly reduced strain values compared with the unbraced knee during nonweightbearing and weightbearing conditions. For internal torques of the tibia (up to 9 N·m), strain in the braced knee was significantly less than in the unbraced knee when the knee was nonweightbearing only. The brace did not reduce strain values when the knee was subjected to external torques (9 N·m) or varus-valgus moments (10 N·m) in weightbearing and nonweightbearing knees. These data indicate that a functional knee brace can protect the anterior cruciate ligament during anterior-posterior shear loading in the nonweightbearing and weightbearing knee and during internal torques in the nonweightbearing knee.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. B. Birmingham, D. M. Bryant, J. R. Giffin, R. B. Litchfield, J. F. Kramer, A. Donner, and P. J. Fowler A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Effectiveness of Functional Knee Brace and Neoprene Sleeve Use After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Am. J. Sports Med., April 1, 2008; 36(4): 648 - 655. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Najibi and J. P. Albright The Use of Knee Braces, Part 1: Prophylactic Knee Braces in Contact Sports Am. J. Sports Med., April 1, 2005; 33(4): 602 - 611. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. D. Beynnon, B. C. Fleming, D. L. Churchill, and D. Brown The Effect of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficiency and Functional Bracing on Translation of the Tibia Relative to the Femur During Nonweightbearing and Weightbearing Am. J. Sports Med., January 1, 2003; 31(1): 99 - 105. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]