Exergaming plus conventional treatment on the functionality after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: case report

Introduction: Balance training has been used for patients who had undergone Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Exergaming allows the user to interact directly with the multidimensional environment and has been used to provide a realistic environment in physiotherapy settings. Thus, this study aimed to describe the effects of the combination of exergaming and conventional physiotherapy on the functionality after ACL reconstruction. Material and Methods: A 43-years-old male was referred to a rehabilitation program due to an ACL reconstruction. A combination of exergaming and conventional physiotherapy was conducted for twenty weeks. Outcome measures included the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Cincinnati Knee Score, 10-Metre Walk Test (10 MWT), vertical jump test, Single-Leg Hop Test (SLHT), and Single-Leg Triple Hop Test (SLTHT). Data were collected at four-time points: week 10 after surgery, week 20 after surgery, week 30 after surgery, week 40 after surgery (followup). Results: There was improvement in IKDC, week 10= 43.68 and week 40= 85.05; Cincinnati Knee Score, week 10= 63 and week 40= 80). Functional tests also showed higher values at the end of treatment: 10 MWT (week 10= 1.52 m/s and week 40= 3.55 m/s), jump test (week 10= 117 cm and week 40= 180 cm), SLHT (week 20= 387 cm and week 40= 526 cm) and SLTHT (week 20= 387 cm and week 40= 526 cm). Conclusion: Adding exergaming to conventional physiotherapy may be beneficial to achieve functional improvements after ACL reconstruction.