NCT07411625

Preoperative Rehabilitation for Patient With an ACL Injury

Comparison of Two Programs Delivered During Rehabilitation Before an Anteriror Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction : a Randomised Controlled Trial K-POP

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 84 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Nantes University Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Muscle qualities are critical for the recovery after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Before ACL reconstruction (ALCR), resistance training aims to maintain patient strength and volume in order to optimize recovery. Unanswered questions remain on the modalities of resistance training before ACLR. This protocol details a pragmatic clinical trial that primary aims to increase the maximal strength of knee extensors and flexors and to induce hypertrophy before ACLR. Participants awaiting ACLR will be recruited from outpatient rehabilitation clinics and will be randomly allocated to one group to attend a 9-weeks rehabilitation program before ACLR. Participants of 'resistance training' group will perform a training program built on the principles of strength training to increase knee muscles strength and volume. Three blocks of 3 weeks will induce a progressive increase in training load, with exercises performed close to failure. Participants of 'usual group' will perform traditional exercises including: balance/proprioceptive exercises, weight-balances exercises, and body-weight resistance training exercises. Groups will be compared on muscle strength (primary outcome), clinical outcomes (muscle volume, stiffness, knee mobility, effusion) and self-reported outcomes (quality of life, perception of knee function, pain, anxiety and depression, exertion, health consumption, participations in activities) before and after ACLR. Outcomes will be collected by a blinded assessor before and after the resistance training program (before ACLR); 4 and 9 months after the ACLR.

Conditions

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Resistance training	Participants of 'resistance training' group will perform a training program built on the principles of strength training to increase knee muscles strength and volume. Three blocks of 3 weeks will induce a progressive increase in training load, with exercises performed close to failure. The exercising part for participants of 'RT group' will be composed by a progressive increase in load over the 9 weeks. For that purpose, the intensity of load will be increased each 3 weeks (i.e. on the session 1, 10, and 19), using a low-load of 25RM (W1 to W3), mid-load of 10 RM (W4 to W6), and a high-load of 8 RM (W7 to W9) at the end of the program. During each session, the exercise will be performed at an intensity of RPE 9-10 (i.e. near to failure). Based on the literature this progressivity and intensity in loads will target gains in strength and volume among strengthened muscle groups. (Schoenfeld et al., 2021).
OTHER	Traditional exercises	Participants of 'usual group' will perform traditional exercises including: balance/proprioceptive exercises, weight-balances exercises, and body-weight resistance training exercises. The exercising part for participants of 'usual training group' will comport traditional exercises used in prehabilitation, including: balance/proprioceptive exercises, weight-balances exercises, and body-weight resistance training exercises. Again, the 9 weeks will be sub-divided into 3 blocks of 3 weeks for inducing a progressive increase in training load. During w1 to w3, priority will be given to gait, weight balance and knee ROM exercises. From w4 to w7, proprioceptive and jumping exercises will be introduced. During the last 3 weeks, participants will perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions of body-weight exercises.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-03-17
• Primary completion: 2027-08-15
• Completion: 2027-08-15
• First posted: 2026-02-17
• Last updated: 2026-03-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: France