A medial meniscal tear is a common knee injury, especially following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Decreasing the compressive force on the medial meniscus during dynamic activities using an unloader knee brace could reduce meniscal strain, effectively reducing injury risk and/or severity. A study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of two unloader knee braces on medial meniscus strain during dynamic activities in ACL-intact and ACL-deficient states.
In-vivo knee kinematics and muscle force profiles from a healthy individual performing single/double leg squats and walking motions were simulated on ten cadaveric specimens using a dynamic knee simulator system. Simulations were performed on knees in unbraced and braced scenarios, with and without the ACL. Anterior and posterior medial meniscal strains were measured.
Both braces showed a significant reduction in the posteromedial meniscal strain (p ≤ 0.01) in the ACL-intact state. Neither brace mirrored this result for the anteromedial strain (p > 0.05). In the ACL-deficient state the braces had no significant effect on strain (p > 0.05). The unloader knee braces reduced strain in the medial meniscus in an ACL-intact state during dynamic activities. However, the braces were insignificant (p < 0.05) in ACL-deficient knees.
