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The Strain Behavior of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament During Bicycling

An In Vivo Study

Braden C. Fleming, PhD, Bruce D. Beynnon, PhD, Per A. Renstrom, MD, PhD, Glenn D. Peura, MS, Claude E. Nichols, PhD and Robert J. Johnson, MD

McClure Musculoskeletal Research Center, Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont

Presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the AOSSM, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, June 1996, and the First Biennial Congress of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS), Buenos Aires, Brazil, May 1997.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Braden C. Fleming, PhD, The University of Vermont, College of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation, Stafford Hall, Burlington, VT 05405-0084

Stationary bicycling is commonly prescribed after anterior cruciate ligament injury or reconstruction; however, the strains on the ligament or ligament graft during stationary bicycling remain unknown. In this study we measured ligament strain on eight patients who were candidates for arthroscopic meniscectomy under local anesthesia. Six different riding conditions were evaluated: three power levels (75, 125, and 175 W), each of which was performed at two cadences (60 and 90 rpm). The peak ligament strain values ranged from 1.2% for the 175-W, 90-rpm, condition to 2.1% for the 125-W, 60-rpm, condition. No significant differences were found in peak strain values due to changes in power level or cadence. Thus, the strain values were pooled across the six riding conditions tested. The mean peak strain value was 1.7%, a value that is relatively low compared with other rehabilitation activities previously tested. These data suggest that knee rehabilitation programs can be designed to include this selection of power and cadence levels without significantly changing ligament strain values. Thus, stationary bicycling is a rehabilitation exercise that permits the patient to increase muscle activity by increasing the power level or decreasing the cadence without subjecting the ligament or ligament graft to higher strain values.

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