NCT06206200

The Effects of Cognitive Dual-Tasking in Later Stages of Rehabilitation After ACL Reconstruction

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University Ghent · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in sports and often require a long and challenging rehabilitation process. Athletes who sustain these injuries typically engage in pivoting and cutting sports, where these motor tasks must be performed simultaneously with cognitive tasks such as decision-making and keeping an eye on the opponent. Directing attention to both cognitive and motor tasks leads to cognitive-motor interference, which is associated with movement patterns that increase the risk of ACL (re)injury. Therefore, it is crucial that before returning to such demanding sports after ACL reconstruction, athletes sufficiently develop and automate safe yet efficient motor skills to free up attentional capacity for decision-making, thereby reducing the risk of suboptimal movement patterns and reinjury. However, current rehabilitation programs often primarily focus on the motor component in a single-task manner, giving insufficient attention to the cognitive component that is inseparable from sports. This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effects of implementing motor-cognitive dual tasks in the end phase rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction on muscle function, functional outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes.

Conditions

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
• Athrogenic Muscle Responses
• ACL Injury

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Cognitive dual task training (intervention group)	Simultaneously performing cognitive tasks and motor rehabilitative exercises.
OTHER	Standard of care physiotherapy (control group)	The current best physical therapy treatment for patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction based on existing scientific evidence.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-10-15
• Primary completion: 2027-04-01
• Completion: 2027-04-01
• First posted: 2024-01-16
• Last updated: 2024-07-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Belgium