Feeling more stable after ACL reconstruction, thanks to GenuTrain

Following the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), patients with residual knee complaints can benefit from compression during follow-up care. Regardless of whether their reconstructive surgery dates back six months or five years. This was demonstrated by a study conducted in New Zealand at Otago University using the GenuTrain knee support.

The results published in the open-access specialist journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders verify, for example, a positive acute effect on test subjects’ jumping distance during the “horizontal jump”, a single-leg distance jump (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-021-04540-x), as well as effects on knee kinematics and knee kinetics during another movement task, the “step-down hop task”. During this task, the test subjects stepped with their injured leg from a box measuring 30 cm onto a load sensing platform, and then immediately jumped forward. After six weeks of wearing the GenuTrain, a reduced standing phase before the jump forward was measured, which also suggests an improvement in knee stability, a long-term effect in this case.(https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05488-2)

In an interview with Bauerfeind life about the results, Professor Dr. Gisela Sole, study director and physical therapist, explained that patients with ACL reconstructions need long-term rehabilitation strategies to regain neuromuscular control. She said: “We know that the most important part of rehabilitation is training – and if the support helps with this, it can only be beneficial.”  She also mentioned possible psychological effects: “Interestingly, the test subjects in our study wearing the support were generally more physically active than the control group. The support may have encouraged them to dare to be active again without the constant fear of a recurring rupture.”

A summary of selected results from both publications by Sole et al. is available as a digital whitepaper from medical.affairs@bauerfeind.com.