The effect of cognitive task and gait speed on gait spatiotemporal parameters in athletes with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Cross-sectional study.

Background: Restoring pre-injury normal gait following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) is a critical challenge. The purpose of this study was to compare spatiotemporal parameters in athletes following ACL reconstruction with healthy athletes when cognitive load and speed were manipulated.

Methods: Twenty male soccer players with an ACLR history and 20 healthy matched individuals completed walking tasks under four conditions: with and without a cognitive load (auditory Stroop task), and at preferred speed as well as high speed (20% higher than the individual's preferred speed). Step Width (SW), Step Time (ST), Step Length (SL), as well as Symmetry Indexes (SIs) were measured using three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis. Gait symmetry was evaluated by SIs. The data was analyzed using Three-way analysis of variances with repeated measures (ANOVA 3 × 2).

Results: ST was significantly different between groups (P = 0.04) when the cognitive load was applied at the preferred speed. However, other spatiotemporal parameters were not significantly different between groups in any conditions (p > 0.05). The SW was reduced during high-speed walking with cognitive load in both groups (p = 0.004). High-speed resulted in greater SL (p < 0.001) and lower ST (p < 0.001) in both groups. SI was not significantly different for any parameter between groups under any conditions, however, the interaction of cognitive task × speed was significant for SW (p = 0.03).

Conclusion: Athletes at a mean of 19 months following ACL Reconstruction appear to manage speed and cognitive challenges similar to age and activity matched individuals who have not had surgery.