Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Quadriceps Function, Landing Biomechanics, and Performance in Individuals With ACL Reconstruction

NCT07681193 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 21-0305
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 36
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Individuals who undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are at heightened risk of secondary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury (e.g. additional injury to the ACL in either knee). One of the primary physiological consequences of ACLR is the presence of quadriceps dysfunction (i.e. reduced activation and strength) which has been linked to altered gait and landing biomechanics. Aberrant landing biomechanics have been associated with an increased risk of both primary and secondary ACL injury, thus additional research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of treatments aimed to reduce quadriceps dysfunction and restore adequate landing biomechanics in attempts to reduce secondary ACL injury. Whole-body Vibration (WBV) has demonstrated success in improving quadriceps function and gait biomechanics in individuals with ACLR, however its effectiveness on landing biomechanics is unknown. To evaluate the acute effects of WBV on landing biomechanics in those with ACLR, a non-randomized crossover-controlled trial was conducted to determine if a single bout of WBV improved landing biomechanics greater than a control condition. Participants completed two separate testing sessions (separated by at least one week) in which measures of quadriceps function and landing biomechanics were assessed before and after either a control (no WBV) or WBV intervention. Separate linear mixed-effects models of post-test values for each dependent outcome were conducted with condition (control vs WBV) and limb (ACLR vs Uninvolved) as an interaction term, and each condition pre-test values and time post-ACLR as fixed effect covariates and a random effect of subject. The investigators expect to observe a significant improvement in landing biomechanics following WBV compared to the control condition.

Conditions

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear; ACL Injury; Biomechanical Phenomena; ACL Tear

Keywords

vibration; quadriceps; secondary injury; ACL reconstruction; Landing biomechanics

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Internal Knee Adduction Moment (KAM)

  Peak value during landing in both single-leg and double-leg tasks averaged over 3 trials and normalized to the product of body weight and height

  Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).

• Internal Knee Extension Moment (KEM)

  Peak value during landing in both single-leg and double-leg tasks averaged over 3 trials and normalized to a product of body weight\*height

  Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).

• Knee Flexion Angle (KFA)

  Peak value during landing in both single-leg and double-leg tasks averaged over 3 trials

  Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Dynamic Postural Control

  Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).

• Vertical Ground Reaction Force

  Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).

• Frontal Plane Kinematics

  Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).

Study Arms (2)

Whole body vibration followed by No Intervention (Control)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will receive Whole Body Vibration followed by a washout period of 1 week, then receive the Sham Whole body vibration (Control). Each condition will be evaluated in a single session (i.e. acute effects).

Other: Whole body vibration (WBV); Other: Sham Whole body vibration

Sham Whole body vibration (Control) followed by Whole Body Vibration

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will receive Sham Whole body vibration (Control) followed by a washout period of 1 week, then receive Whole Body Vibration. Each condition will be evaluated in a single session (i.e. acute effects).

Other: Whole body vibration (WBV); Other: Sham Whole body vibration

Interventions

Whole body vibration (WBV) OTHER

Participants will stand on a WBV platform in a mini-squat position while vibration is applied during six 60-second bouts with 2 minutes of rest between each bout. WBV will be delivered at an acceleration of 2g and a frequency of 30 Hz.

Sham Whole body vibration (Control) followed by Whole Body Vibration; Whole body vibration followed by No Intervention (Control)

Sham Whole body vibration OTHER

Participants will stand on a WBV platform in a mini-squat position during six 60-second bouts with 2 minutes of rest between each bout. No vibration will be applied.

Sham Whole body vibration (Control) followed by Whole Body Vibration; Whole body vibration followed by No Intervention (Control)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Between the ages of 18-35
• History of primary, unilateral ACLR
• Medically cleared for unrestricted physical activity

You may not qualify if:

• More than 5 years removed from ACLR
• Currently pregnant
• History of other lower extremity surgery
• History of lower extremity injury in previous 6 months
• History of neurological disorder
• Maximal isometric quadriceps torque \> 3.0 Nm/kg in the ACLR limb

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: lead

Study Sites (1)

Univesrity of North Carolina at Chapel HIll MOTION Science Institute

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Knee Injuries; Leg Injuries; Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Derek Dewig

  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 10, 2026
• First Posted: July 2, 2026
• Study Start: September 1, 2021
• Primary Completion: April 22, 2022
• Study Completion: May 10, 2022
• Last Updated: July 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL
• Time Frame: IPD will be available beginning 9 and continuing for 36 months following publication.
• Access Criteria: Investigator has approved IRB, IEC, or REB and an executed data use/sharing agreement with UNC.

Locations

US (1)