Introduction: The anterior cruciate ligament is the most frequently damaged ligament of the knee joint. The anterior cruciate ligament does not only provide mechanical stability, but also contributes to our proprioception, due to the presence of mechanoreceptors. In patients with injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament, proprioceptive and neuromuscular control is reduced, therefore the exercise programme following reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament should also include exercises to increase the proprioceptive inflow. Purpose: The purpose of the diploma thesis was, on the basis of a review of published scientific and professional literature, to determine the effects of proprioceptive exercises on a person’s sense of position and movement of the knee joint, as well as the function of the knee joint following reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament. Methods: A descriptive method was used, literature in the English language was found in the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. When performing a literature search, the following keywords and English expressions were used: proprioceptive training effects, proprioceptive exercises effects, effects of proprioceptive program, after ACL reconstruction, after knee surgery, joint position sense. Results: The functionality of the knee joint improved in all six studies dealt with; however, in comparison with the control group, only one was statistically significant. When measuring the sense of knee joint position, only one study showed statistically significant improvements within the experimental group (p<0.05). Discussion and conclusion: Following the conclusion of the therapy programme, proprioceptive exercises do not result in better results regarding the sense of knee joint position, functionality of the knee joint, and muscle strength in the knee flexors and extensors in comparison with the exercise programme for improving muscle strength, which can be interpreted as the close connection between the exercise programmes, as proprioceptive exercises directly affect muscle performance and vice versa.
|