Immediate effects of neuromuscular joint facilitation intervention after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to examine the immediate effects of neuromuscular joint facilitation (NJF) on the functional activity level after rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. [Subjects and Methods] Ten young subjects (8 males and 2 females) who underwent ACL reconstruction were included in the study. The subjects were divided into two groups, namely, knee joint extension muscle strength training (MST) group and knee joint extension outside rotation pattern of NJF group. Extension strength was measured in both groups before and after the experiment. Surface electromyography (sEMG) of the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis muscles and joint position error (JPE) test of the knee joint were also conducted. [Results] JPE test results and extension strength measurements in the NJF group were improved compared with those in the MST group. Moreover, the average discharge of the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis muscles on sEMG in the NJF group was significantly increased after MST and NJF treatments. [Conclusion] The obtained results suggest that NJF training in patients with ACL reconstruction can improve knee proprioception ability and muscle strength.