Introduction: One of the most important consequences of anterior cruciate ligament injury and subsequent surgery is the delay in the start of activity of the muscles controlling the lower limb. This issue is more important in women due to defects in neuromuscular function. Neuromuscular exercises are one of the training approaches that, due to their functionality, can be useful in the final stages of rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament injury. Therefore, the purpose of this research is the effect of a course of neuromuscular exercises on the electromyographic activity of selected lower limb muscles in athletes with a history of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Methods: The current research is semi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The research samples consisted of 20 female athletes with a history of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery with an age range of 18 to 30 years. The subjects were selected based on the criteria for entering and exiting the research. The activation time of selected lower limb muscles (medial gluteus medius, biceps femoris and right thigh) was measured before and after 8 weeks of neuromuscular exercises using a surface electromyography device and during the one leg jump and landing test. Common neuromuscular exercises were performed for 8 weeks (3 sessions per week). Paired t-test was used to check intra-group changes and analysis of covariance test was used to check inter-group differences in the post-test stage. A significance level of 95% and a smaller alpha value of 0.05 were considered.
Results: The results of the analysis of covariance showed that neuromuscular exercises caused a significant improvement in the starting time of the selected muscles of the lower limb (medial gluteus medius, biceps, and right thigh) (P≤0.05). While no significant difference was observed between the start time of biceps and rectus femoris muscles in the control group (P≤0.05).
Conclusion: According to the results of the research, it seems that neuromuscular exercises can cause significant improvement in the starting time of selected muscles of the lower limb (medial gluteal, biceps and right thigh) of athletes with a history of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. All people who have a history of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery are suggested to benefit from neuromuscular exercises for rehabilitation and return to sports.