@article{3085049,
    title = "Hamstring weakness as an indicator of poor knee function in
ACL-deficient patients",
    author = "Tsepis, E and Vagenas, G and Giakas, G and Georgoulis, A",
    journal = "Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy",
    year = "2004",
    volume = "12",
    number = "1",
    pages = "22-29",
    publisher = "Springer-Verlag",
    issn = "0942-2056, 1433-7347",
    doi = "10.1007/s00167-003-0377-4",
    keywords = "anterior cruciate ligament; insufficiency; muscle strength; compensators",
    abstract = "Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture causes instability to the knee
joint which leads each patient to a different degree of disability. The
purpose of this study was to examine the strength of the quadriceps and
the hamstrings in ACL-deficient amateur soccer players at different
levels of functional status. Thirty male amateur soccer players were
separated into three groups according to their Lysholm score; the
high-L1 (Lysholm greater than or equal to84), the intermediate-L2 (84>
Lysholm greater than or equal to72) and the low-L3 (Lysholm <72) knee
function groups. The control group consisted of 12 amateur soccer
players. The strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings was assessed
isokinetically at 60degrees/s. The quadriceps demonstrated significant
deficits of the injured knee compared to the intact knee in all groups,
whilst the hamstrings showed significant weakness only in the low
function group. Respective percentage deficits in groups L1, L2 and L3
were 13.7%, 16.0% and 18.6% for the quadriceps and 2.4%, 5.6% and
19.2% for the hamstrings. All groups had significant quadriceps
weakness which did not differ between the groups. In contrast, the
strength deficit of the hamstrings was an indicator of poor knee
function, since they were significantly weak only in group L3, which
represented patients who clearly failed to compensate for instability
symptoms. In groups L1 and L2 the side-to-side differences were within
the area of asymmetry measured in the control group. Clinical importance
of the results is discussed."
}