AJSM signin
HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
First published on February 16, 2005, doi:10.1177/0363546504269938
This version was published on April 1, 2005
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
33/4/536    most recent
0363546504269938v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (10)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Arnold, M. P.
Right arrow Articles by van Kampen, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Arnold, M. P.
Right arrow Articles by van Kampen, A.
Related Collections
Right arrow Reconstruction
Right arrow Biomechanics
Right arrow Knee
The American Journal of Sports Medicine 33:536-542 (2005)
© 2005 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

The Remains of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft Tension After Cyclic Knee Motion

Markus P. Arnold, MD*,{dagger}, Denny T. T. Lie, MD{ddagger}, Nico Verdonschot, PhD§, Ruurd de Graaf, PhD||, Andrew A. Amis, DSc{ddagger},¶ and Albert van Kampen, MD, PhD§

From the {dagger} Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital Groningen, the Netherlands, {ddagger} Biomechanics Section, Mechanical Engineering Department, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom, § Orthopaedic Department, University Hospital Nijmegen, the Netherlands, ll Biostatistical Department, University Hospital Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and Musculoskeletal Surgery Department, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

* Address correspondence to Markus P. Arnold, MD, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital, Hanzeplein 1, NL- 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands (e-mail: m.arnold{at}orth.azg.nl).

Background: There is sometimes a return of excess knee laxity after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. One of the contributing factors might be a loss in graft tension. It is unknown whether the tension imposed on an anterior cruciate ligament graft degrades with time and, if so, the effect of that loss of tension on knee laxity.

Hypotheses: The pretension in the anterior cruciate ligament graft reduces significantly within the first 500 motion cycles, and this decrease in graft tension causes an increase in knee laxity.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Methods: This study measured the remains of bone–patellar tendon–bone graft pretension after cyclical flexion-extension and the effect of any tension loss on knee laxity, using 8 cadaveric knees. A tension transducer was inserted into the graft and calibrated in situ. The reconstruction tension was 40 N at 20° of flexion. In test 1, the graft tension was measured under cyclical flexion-extension in a motorized rig up to 1500 cycles. Test 2, with a new graft, also included anteroposterior and internal-external rotational knee laxity measurements at 0, 500, and 1500 cycles.

Results: The graft tension at 0° of flexion dropped from 208 N, by 25% after 50 cycles, 41% by 500, and 46% by 1500 cycles. Anterior laxity increased from +1.4 to +2.8 mm by 500 cycles, and performing these laxity tests also caused significant tension losses.

Clinical Relevance: These results provide one possible explanation for early slackening of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions.

Key Words: knee • anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) • tension • strain • laxity




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am J Sports MedHome page
T. Mae, K. Shino, K. Nakata, Y. Toritsuka, H. Otsubo, and H. Fujie
Optimization of Graft Fixation at the Time of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Part II: Effect of Knee Flexion Angle
Am. J. Sports Med., June 1, 2008; 36(6): 1094 - 1100.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am J Sports MedHome page
P. Cuomo, K. R. B. S. Rama, A. M. J. Bull, and A. A. Amis
The Effects of Different Tensioning Strategies on Knee Laxity and Graft Tension After Double-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Am. J. Sports Med., December 1, 2007; 35(12): 2083 - 2090.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am J Sports MedHome page
M. F. Brady, M. P. Bradley, B. C. Fleming, P. D. Fadale, M. J. Hulstyn, and R. Banerjee
Effects of Initial Graft Tension on the Tibiofemoral Compressive Forces and Joint Position After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Am. J. Sports Med., March 1, 2007; 35(3): 395 - 403.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JBJSHome page
W. J. Ciccone II, D. R. Bratton, D. M. Weinstein, and J. J. Elias
Viscoelasticity and Temperature Variations Decrease Tension and Stiffness of Hamstring Tendon Grafts Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
J. Bone Joint Surg. Am., May 1, 2006; 88(5): 1071 - 1078.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BMJHome page
D. J Biau, C. Tournoux, S. Katsahian, P. J Schranz, and R. S Nizard
Bone-patellar tendon-bone autografts versus hamstring autografts for reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament: meta-analysis
BMJ, April 29, 2006; 332(7548): 995 - 1001.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2005 by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.