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Influence of an unloader brace on lower limb electromyographic activity in individuals with predominant lateral osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
journal contribution
posted on 2021-01-14, 04:28 authored by Harvi HartHarvi Hart, M Holt, Adam SemciwAdam Semciw, Natalie J Collins, Kay CrossleyKay Crossley© 2019 Objective: To determine the immediate effects of a varus unloader knee brace on lower-limb electromyographic activity in individuals with lateral knee osteoarthritis and valgus malalignment after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Methods: Electromyographic data were recorded in 19 individuals with lateral knee osteoarthritis and valgus malalignment after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction during walking under three conditions: (i) no brace, (ii) unadjusted brace (no varus adjustment), and adjusted brace (varus adjustment). Variables of interest were statistically analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: There were no significant differences in muscle co-contraction between the three test conditions. The adjusted brace resulted in delayed offset of gluteus maximus (mean difference [95% CI]: 72 ms [24, 119]), and earlier onset of gluteus medius (59 ms [21, 97]) compared to no brace. The adjusted brace delayed onset of lateral gastrocnemius compared to no brace (53 ms [28, 78]) and the unadjusted brace (39 ms [7, 71]) and reduced average activation amplitude of gluteus maximus (−4 mV [−6, −1]) and lateral gastrocnemius (−9 mV [−16, −2]) compared to no brace. Conclusions: The unloader brace did not produce significant changes in muscle co-contraction in individuals with lateral knee osteoarthritis and valgus malalignment after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Significant changes in gluteal and gastrocnemius muscle activation timing and amplitude were observed, however, it is not clear whether these changes are of clinical importance.
Funding
DJO Global provided knee braces and funding for the radiographs. The study sponsors had no involvement in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; and in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
History
Publication Date
2020-01-01Journal
Brazilian Journal of Physical TherapyVolume
24Issue
4Pagination
7p. (p. 342-348)Publisher
ElsevierISSN
1413-3555Rights Statement
The Author reserves all moral rights over the deposited text and must be credited if any re-use occurs. Documents deposited in OPAL are the Open Access versions of outputs published elsewhere. Changes resulting from the publishing process may therefore not be reflected in this document. The final published version may be obtained via the publisher’s DOI. Please note that additional copyright and access restrictions may apply to the published version.Publisher DOI
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No categories selectedKeywords
Science & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineOrthopedicsRehabilitationKnee braceElectromyographyOnsetOffsetCo-contractionWalkingKNEE OSTEOARTHRITISRADIOGRAPHIC PATTERNSVALGUS MALALIGNMENTSYMPTOMSINJURYJOINTPEOPLELower ExtremityMuscle, SkeletalHumansOsteoarthritis, KneeBracesMuscle ContractionAnterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction