Gait Analysis and Functional Testing Pre- and Post- ACL Surgery (GAFT)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Gait Analysis and Functional Testing of Patients Pre- and Post- ACL Reconstruction Surgery and Matched Healthy Volunteers
IRAS ID
143987
Contact name
Justin P Cobb
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Research summary
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is a stabilizing ligament in the knee joint that is commonly injured by people between the ages of 15-45 in the context of sport. Such an injury can predispose the individual to osteoarthritis, sometimes even within 14 years of the injury. Surgical technique has an impact on the success of ACL reconstruction surgery for years after their operation has been performed and this can be assessed by looking at how patients walk (Gait Analysis) and how they are able to perform activities that challenge their new ACL (Functional Testing). In this study, ACL-deficient (Pre- ACL Reconstruction Surgery) and ACL reconstructed (Post- ACL Reconstruction Surgery) participants will undergo gait analysis whilst walking and running on an instrumented treadmill and perform ACL-testing tasks in a motion capture room in order to collect this data. MRI images of the healthy participants and pre-op patients will also be obtained with the use of an MRI-compatible knee testing device. Information thus gleaned can be used not only to inform the surgeon’s graft choice and technique but also provide insights into better ACL design. Furthermore, analysis of such data can contribute to ascertaining the clinical utility of each type of data and reveal the best predictors of function.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
14/NS/1045
Date of REC Opinion
9 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion