Gholam A. Ghasemi^1,, Vahid Zolaktaf¹, Khosravi Ibrahim², Minasian V¹

Background: Use of STG (Semitendinosus and gracilis) graft is one of the standard techniques for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The purpose of this study was the comparison of joint position sense (JPS) in involved and uninvolved knees of ACL reconstructed athletes and control group. Methods: Fifteen elite athletes (7 handballs, 8 soccer players) with a unilateral ACL rupture who had received a hamstring tendon auto grafts ACL reconstruction, matched by motor dominance and sport to fifteen healthy elite athletes, were subjects of our study. The injured group experienced an average of 19.9 months from surgery to participation in the research.The Biodex System III Isokinetic dynamometer and Active Angle Reproduction test with angle of 30° knee flexion were used for evaluation of knee JPS. Results: No significant difference was found between involved and uninvolved knees of ACL reconstructed group and between involved knee of ACL reconstructed and control group (p<0/05). Conclusion: The present study revealed that athletes with ACL reconstructed knee may have not experience JPS malfunction. This fact suggests that proprioceptive acuity has multimodal characteristics and is not always primarily dependent on the sensory information of ligament mechanoreceptors. There is the possibility of offsetting this deficit by regeneration of sensory neurons in the reconstructed ligament or by rehabilitation program.

joint position sense, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, hamstring (STG) tendon auto graft