Clinical Efficacy of Jump Training Augmented With Body Weight Support After ACL Reconstruction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

19 patients who demonstrated mechanical deficit between 6-48 months post-anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction were randomized to 8-week programs of either body weight-supported, high repetition jump training or standard body weight jump training. Patients were assessed at 4, 8, and 16 weeks for clinical scores, functional performance in a single-legged hop distance task, kinematic and kinetic parameters during a single-legged landing task, and knee joint effusion rate. The only significant difference between groups was the risk of knee joint effusion, which was significantly greater in the standard jump training group; all other outcome measures demonstrated no significant between-group differences.