Effects of a Prophylactic Knee Sleeve on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Loading During Sport-Specific Movements

Abstract

Context: Prophylactic knee bracing is extensively utilized in athletic populations to reduce the high risk from knee injuries, but its role in the attenuation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) pathologies is not well understood. Objective: The aim of this investigation was to explore the effects of a prophylactic knee sleeve on ACL loading parameters linked to the etiology of injury in recreational athletes. Setting: Laboratory. Design: Repeated measures. Participants: Thirteen healthy male recreational athletes. Intervention: Participants performed run, cut, and single-leg hop movements under 2 conditions; prophylactic knee sleeve and no sleeve. Main Outcome Measures: Biomechanical data were captured using an 8-camera 3D motion capture system and a force platform. Peak ACL force, average ACL load rate, and instantaneous ACL load rate were quantified using a musculoskeletal modeling approach. Results: The results showed that both average and instantaneous ACL load rates were significantly reduced when wearing the knee sleeve in the hop (sleeve = 612.45/1286.39 N/kg/s and no sleeve = 743.91/1471.42 N/kg/s) and cut (sleeve = 222.55/1058.02 N/kg/s and no sleeve = 377.38/1183.01 N/kg/s) movements. Conclusions: Given the biomechanical association between ACL loading and the etiology of ACL injuries, it is proposed that athletes may be able to attenuate their risk from injury during cut and hop movements through utilization of a prophylactic knee sleeve.