Accelerated versus nonaccelerated rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a prospective, randomized, double-blind investigation evaluating knee joint laxity using roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis.

Background: The relationship between the biomechanical dose of rehabilitation exercises administered after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and the healing response of the graft and knee is not well understood.

Hypothesis: After ACL reconstruction, rehabilitation administered with either accelerated or nonaccelerated programs produces the same change in the knees' 6 degrees of freedom, or envelope, laxity values.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

The safety and efficacy of a new adjustable plate used for proximal tibial opening wedge osteotomy in the treatment of unicompartmental knee osteoarthrosis.

Twenty opening wedge tibial osteotomies were performed using the Osteotrac plate, which consists of a two-piece plate with a one-way ratcheting mechanism with two degrees of freedom. A variety of concomitant procedures were performed including osteochondral transfer, tibial tubercle medialization, and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The change in tibiofemoral alignment in the coronal plane and the shift in lower extremity mechanical axis were determined.

Treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, part 2.

Anterior cruciate ligament tears, common among athletes, are functionally disabling; they predispose the knee to subsequent injuries and the early onset of osteoarthritis. A total of 3810 studies published between January 1994 and the present were identified and reviewed to determine the current state of knowledge regarding the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Part 1 of this article focused on studies pertaining to the biomechanical behavior of the anterior cruciate ligament, the prevalence of and risk factors for injuries related to it, the natural history of the ligament-deficient knee, injuries associated with anterior cruciate ligament disruption, indications for the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, as well as nonoperative and operative treatments.

Treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, part I.

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are common among athletes. Although the true natural history remains unclear, anterior cruciate ligament injuries are functionally disabling; they predispose the knee to subsequent injuries and the early onset of osteoarthritis. This article, the first in a 2-part series, was initiated with the use of the PubMed database and a comprehensive search of articles that appeared between January 1994 to the present, using the keywords anterior cruciate ligament.

Rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a prospective, randomized, double-blind comparison of programs administered over 2 different time intervals.

Background: There are adverse effects associated with immobilization of the knee after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, yet very little is known about how much activity will promote adequate rehabilitation without permanently elongating the graft, producing graft failure, or creating damage to articular cartilage.

Hypothesis: Rehabilitation with either an accelerated or nonaccelerated program produces no difference in anterior-posterior knee laxity, clinical assessment, patient satisfaction, functional performance, and the synovial fluid biomarkers of articular cartilage metabolism.

Study Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 1.