Contralateral balance training improves gait speed and knee sagittal motion post-ACL reconstruction: RCT

In an RCT of 40 patients after ACL reconstruction, adding contralateral-limb balance training improved gait speed (0.08 m/s, 95% CI 0.05-0.11) and sagittal knee ROM (8.97°, 95% CI 5.40-12.54), but clinical significance uncertain.

• Design: Single-blind RCT in 40 patients 5-6 weeks post-ACLR, comparing 6 weeks of contralateral-limb balance training plus standard rehab to standard rehab alone.
• Sagittal-plane knee ROM improvement (8.97°) was independent of gait speed gain after adjustment (P=0.002), but benefits did not consistently exceed minimal clinically important difference thresholds.
• Limitation: No ACLR-specific MCID exists; statistical significance may not translate to clinical importance.

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