Impact of Rehabilitation on Gait Kinematic following Grade II Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury among Wrestlers

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common injuries in wrestling. Even though there are several studies available in the literature about the changes in gait kinematics following ACL injury and ACL reconstruction surgery, none of these studies investigated the changes in gait kinematics following nonoperative rehabilitation protocol. So, this study is aimed at investigating the changes in gait kinematic following a supervised ACL rehabilitation protocol among wrestlers following a grade II ACL injury. METHODS: Fifteen male professional wrestlers with recent grade II ACL injury with mean age: 19.93 ± 2.01 years, weight: 72.33 ± 7.46 kg, and height: 173 ± 4.95 cm volunteered for this single-arm pretest-posttest study. Kinematic parameters during walking pre- and postrehabilitation were examined by two-dimensional (2D) video graphic analysis. Paired sample t-test and Cohen's d were used to determine significant differences and effect size of segmental angle, cadence, step length, stride length, etc. RESULTS: Injured wrestlers after the rehabilitation program walked significantly faster and had a 10.13% higher cadence, a 10.89% faster gait velocity, a 05% greater step length, and a 4.69% longer stride length, compared with a prerehabilitation program of injured wrestlers. Furthermore, joint angles at the hip, knee, and ankle were significantly different between pre- and postrehabilitation. CONCLUSION: Research findings suggest that rehabilitation programs significantly impact the gait pattern of injured wrestlers. A 19-week supervised rehabilitation protocol can increase gait velocity and related parameters in ACL injured wrestlers.