Evaluating equilibrium in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Forough Ferdowsi, Zahra Sadat Rezaeian
PMID 29765190WHAT IT FOUND
Static balance may not expose postural control problems after ACL reconstruction.
Dynamic tests such as Biodex or Equitest may better identify balance deficits.
Key findings
01The review included 20 full text articles after screening English studies from 1985 through 2015 that used balance assessment methods in ACL injury or ACL reconstruction without medical or physical management interventions.
02The reviewed studies report that postural control is not normal after ACL injury or reconstruction, and some balance impairment may persist months after reconstructive surgery.
03Static standing may not challenge balance enough, while dynamic tests such as Biodex and Equitest may better identify balance impairments.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a systematic review or meta-analysis, so it does not pool results or grade the evidence. The search was limited to English articles from 1985 through 2015 in MEDLINE and allied health literature, so relevant studies may have been missed. It excluded studies comparing surgery types, rehabilitation or medical management, or physical training, so it cannot tell you which treatment changes balance. It summarizes other studies' balance findings and reports no new patients or intervention outcomes. The reviewed evidence is mixed across methods and populations. Some static tests did not show deficits, while dynamic or perturbation tests did.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as evidence that a specific balance test or training programme improves outcomes after ACL reconstruction. It describes assessment methods and reports that balance deficits may persist, but it did not test an intervention and excluded studies comparing rehabilitation strategies.