Acutely Normalizing Walking Speed Does Not Normalize Gait Biomechanics Post-Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

To determine the effect of acutely increasing walking speed on gait biomechanics in ACLR individuals compared to their habitual speed and uninjured matched-controls. Gait biomechanics were collected on 30 ACLR individuals (20 females, age: 22.0 ± 4.2 years, BMI: 24.0 ± 3.0 kg·m-2) at their habitual speed and at 1.3 m·s-1, a speed similar to controls, and 30 uninjured matched-controls (age: 21.9 ± 3.8, BMI: 23.6 ± 2.5) at their habitual speed. Functional waveform analyses compared biomechanics between: i) walking at habitual speed vs 1.3 m·s-1 in ACLR individuals; and ii) ACLR individuals at 1.3 m·s-1 vs controls. In the ACLR group, there were no statistically significant biomechanical differences between walking at habitual speed (1.18 ± 0.12 m·s-1) and 1.3 m·s-1 (1.29 ± 0.05 m·s-1). Compared with controls (habitual speed: 1.34 ± 0.12 m·s-1), the ACLR group while walking at 1.3 m·s-1 exhibited smaller vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) during early and late stance (13-28, 78-90% stance phase), greater midstance vGRF (47-61%), smaller early-to-midstance knee flexion angle (KFA; 1-44%), greater mid-to-late stance KFA (68-73, 96-101%), greater internal knee abduction moment (69-101%), and smaller internal knee extension moment (4-51, 88-96%). Increasing walking speed to a speed similar to uninjured controls did not elicit significant changes to gait biomechanics, and ACLR individuals continued to demonstrate biomechanical profiles that are associated with PTOA development and differ from controls.

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Conflict of Interest and Funding Source: This study was supported by funding from The Arthritis Foundation. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.