Clinical strategies for addressing muscle weakness following knee injury

Abstract

Muscle strength is a determinate of physical function and increasing muscle strength is an important clinical goal for patients with knee injury. This article discusses the emerging evidence regarding a novel rehabilitation strategy that uses disinhibitory modalities to increase neuromuscular activation in conjunction with traditional muscle strengthening for the purpose of maximizing strength gains following acute knee injury or surgery and in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The use of disinhibitory modalities and specific types of neuromuscular training for clinically maximizing strength are discussed.

Keywords: Disinhibitory modalities; Electromyographic biofeedback; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.