Orthopedic and sports medicine practitioner Dr. Raymond Reiter leverages four decades of professional experience to serve the patients of the North Jersey Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute. At the practice, Dr. Raymond Reiter performs PRP joint injections and electrodiagnostic studies and evaluates orthopedic and sports-related injuries.
One of the most common athletic grievances is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. A new study conducted by the University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology has discovered that patients who undergo ACL reconstruction develop structural changes in the brain. These changes are deemed harmful since they can cause reinjury and performance deficit and hinder the overall recovery of the patient.
In the study, 10 ACL reconstruction patients were subjected to MRI brain scans. The scans revealed that a portion of the pathway that carries messages from the brain to the muscles, which is called the corticospinal tract, was wasting away.
The researchers said that the side of the tract that is responsible for controlling the ACL-reconstructed knee is 15 percent smaller than the side that controls the uninjured knee. Because of this narrowing of the corticospinal tract in ACL-reconstructed patients, the muscles receive less information from the brain.
The researchers believe this is the brain’s way of protecting the body from unnecessary movements around the injured knee. This principle may be applied to other musculoskeletal conditions as well.
This study will help clinicians provide holistic treatment to knee injuries since other areas of the body, such as the brain, may be affected. Better outcomes may be achieved as treatment goes beyond improving the range of motion
