@article {Thomson395, author = {Athol Thomson and Rod Whiteley and Einar Einarsson and Chris Bleakley}, title = {PEAK PLANTAR FORCE IN ELITE SOCCER PLAYERS FOLLOWING ACL RECONSTRUCTION: GREATER SYMMETRY AFTER 9 MONTHS WHEN RUNNING}, volume = {51}, number = {4}, pages = {395--395}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1136/bjsports-2016-097372.282}, publisher = {British Association of Sport and Excercise Medicine}, abstract = {Background Meeting specific objective discharge criteria after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) or delaying return to sport (RTS) until nine months post ACLR decreases the risk of re-injury.Objective Compare plantar forces during running in two groups of soccer players: cases (5{\textendash}10 months post ACLR) vs controls (no history of ACLR).We also undertook within subjects comparison (injured vs uninjured limb). Players were arbitrarily divided into two groups (>=9 months post ACLR or \<9 months post ACLR) and peak plantar forces and symmetry across different running speeds compared.Design Case-control study.Setting Elite male soccer players.Participants Sixteen football players (age 26{\textpm}4 yrs, weight 74{\textpm}6 kg, height 178{\textpm}6 cm) post ACLR on completion of criteria based rehabilitation and 16 uninjured players (28{\textpm}4 yrs, 77{\textpm}9 kg, 179{\textpm}6 cm) were recruited.Interventions In-shoe plantar force measured (Novel PedarX) while running on a treadmill at 12,14, and 16 km/h.Main Outcome Measurements Peak plantar forces of the injured and uninjured limbs in athletes \<9 months post-ACLR and those >=9 months ACLR were compared. Negative vales indicate relatively lower peak forces on the injured leg. Normative data was collected in uninjured players for comparison (N=16).Results Increasing asymmetry for peak plantar force was demonstrated at all running speeds in athletes \<9 months post ACLR (n=11) compared to athletes >=9 months (n=5). Increasing asymmetry was seen with increasing running speed and peaked at 16 km/h -32{\textpm}11\% asymmetry compared to -6{\textpm}8\%; ES=-2.8, p\<0.01. Controls showed substantially less asymmetry at each running speed than \<9 months ACLR players: 16 km/h (3.8{\textpm}3\% peak plantar force limb asymmetry).Conclusions Relative unloading of the ACLR limb is marked at higher running speeds for athletes \<9 months post ACLR despite having completed all functional criteria required to permit return to play. These preliminary findings may help add further objective criteria to guide RTS following ACLR.}, issn = {0306-3674}, URL = {https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/4/395.1}, eprint = {https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/4/395.1.full.pdf}, journal = {British Journal of Sports Medicine} }