Background And Purpose: Quadriceps weakness is a common finding following knee injuries or surgery, and can be associated with significant functional limitations. This weakness or muscle inhibition may be due to central inhibitory mechanisms, rather than local peripheral dysfunction. Lumbopelvic manipulation has been shown to effect efferent muscle output by altering nociceptive processing. The purpose of this report is to describe the physical therapy management of anterior knee pain and chronic quadriceps weakness utilizing side-lying rotational lumbar thrust manipulation and therapeutic exercise for an individual eight months status-post ACL reconstruction.
Case Description: A 20 year-old male presented to physical therapy eight months following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction of the left knee with primary complaints of residual anterior knee pain and quadriceps weakness. The subject was treated with a multimodal approach using side-lying rotational lumbar thrust manipulation in addition to therapeutic exercise.
Outcomes: The subject was seen in physical therapy for eight sessions over eight weeks. Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) scores improved from 58/80 to 72/80, quadriceps force, measured by hand-held dynamometry (HHD), was improved from 70.6 lbs to 93.5 lbs and the subject was able to return to pain free participation in recreational sports.
Discussion: Therapeutic exercises can facilitate improved quadriceps strength, however, in cases where quadriceps weakness persists and there is concurrent pain, other interventions should be considered. In this case, lower quarter stabilization exercise and lumbar thrust manipulation was associated with improved functional outcomes in a subject with anterior knee pain and quadriceps weakness. Side-lying rotational lumbar thrust manipulation may be a beneficial adjunctive intervention to exercise in subjects with quadriceps weakness.
Level Of Evidence: 5, Single case report.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4275202 | PMC |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Iron Chelation Prevents Age-Related Skeletal Muscle Sarcopenia in Klotho Gene Mutant Mice, a Genetic Model of Aging.
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle
February 2025
Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Background: A decline in skeletal muscle mass and function known as skeletal muscle sarcopenia is an inevitable consequence of aging. Sarcopenia is a major cause of decreased muscle strength, physical frailty and increased muscle fatigability, contributing significantly to an increased risk of physical disability and functional dependence among the elderly. There remains a significant need for a novel therapy that can improve sarcopenia and related problems in aging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious short-term disuse dictates muscle gene expression and physiological adaptations to subsequent resistance exercise.
J Physiol
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Short-term unloading experienced following injury or hospitalisation induces muscle atrophy and weakness. The effects of exercise following unloading have been scarcely investigated. We investigated the functional and molecular adaptations to a resistance training (RT) programme following short-term unloading.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComparative analysis of isokinetic parameters in individuals with and without chondromalacia patellae.
J ISAKOS
January 2025
Laboratory Study of Movement, Instituto de Ortopedia e Traumatologia do Hospital das Clínicas (IOT-HC), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (FMSUP), São Paulo, SP; Brazil.
Introduction: Chondromalacia patella (CMP) is characterized by cartilage degeneration, affects young adults, more women (2:1) and is responsible for 75% of knee pain complaints in the active population. The etiology is multifactorial and may be related to extrinsic factors (trauma and burden) and intrinsic factors (patellar malalignment and quadriceps weakness). Isokinetic dynamometry (ID) can aid in the detection of the causal factors of knee pain related to CMP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFeasibility within-subject RCT of neuromuscular electrical stimulation; an Intervention to Maintain and improve neuroMuscular function during period of Immobility (IMMI).
Eur Geriatr Med
January 2025
School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Introduction: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a potentially effective intervention to improve outcomes after a fragility fracture, but its feasibility in this group has not been established.
Methods: A feasibility study was conducted in two phases: 1) in the hospital only, and 2) hospital, rehabilitation centres, and participants' homes. Patients with fragility fracture were randomised to receive NMES for 6 weeks/discharge either to the right or left leg, with the other leg serving as control.
The Effect of Thigh Muscle Forces on Knee Contact Force in Female Patients with Severe Knee Osteoarthritis.
Bioengineering (Basel)
December 2024
School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100071, China.
Thigh muscles greatly influence knee joint loading, and abnormal loading significantly contributes to the progression of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Muscle weakness in KOA patients is common, but the specific contribution of each thigh muscle to joint loading is unclear. The gait data from 10 severe female KOA patients and 10 controls were collected, and the maximum isometric forces of the biceps femoris long head (BFL), semitendinosus (ST), rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and vastus medialis (VM) were calibrated via ultrasound.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!