Clearance Criteria for Determining Eligibility for Force Plate Testing After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Scoping Review
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Registration
2.2. Framework
2.3. Identifying Research Questions
2.4. Identifying Relevant Studies
2.5. Selecting Studies
2.6. Charting Data
2.7. Reporting Results
- •
- Time from surgery (TFS) listed in either the introduction or methodology section in which a defined lower boundary of TFS is explicitly stated or specific testing time points after surgery are utilized.
- •
- Functional or performance-based testing criteria (e.g., quadriceps strength LSI ≥ 90%, single leg horizontal hop LSI ≥ 85%).
- •
- Medical evaluation (e.g., clearance from a healthcare professional).
- •
- Explicit completion or participation in a rehabilitation program prior to entry into the study.
3. Results
3.1. Identification of Studies
3.2. Study Characteristics
3.3. Participant Characteristics
3.4. Clearance Criteria
3.5. Limb Symmetry Indices as a Clearance Criteria
3.6. Limb Symmetry Indices as a Study Outcome
4. Discussion
4.1. Clinical Implications
4.2. Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| ACL | Anterior cruciate ligament |
| ACLR | Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction |
| CMJ | Countermovement jump |
| DB | Modified Downs and Black |
| DJ | Drop jump |
| DL | Double leg |
| LSI | Limb symmetry indices |
| OCEBM | Oxford Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine |
| ROM | Range of motion |
| RTP | Return to play |
| SL | Single leg |
| TFS | Time from surgery |
Appendix A. Search Strategy as an Extension of the One Used by Labban et al. (2024) [21]
- Ovid MEDLINE(R) 2022—Current
- Date Searched: 7 September 2024; Result: 123
- exp anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction/
- ((Anterior cruciate ligament or ACL) adj8 (repair or reconstruct* or surgery or post-operativ* or postoperativ*)).mp.
- 1 or 2
- (((Bilateral or unilateral or countermovement or counter or squat or drop or one-leg* or two-leg* or single-leg* or double-leg*) adj4 jump*) or drop land* or jump landing or jump down or hop-test).mp.
- (forceplate* or force plate* or force platform* or Kistler or GRF or GRFs or VGRF or VGRFs or pGRF? or ground reaction force* or kinetic* or center of pressure or centre of pressure or centre of mass or center of mass or Reactive strength index or RSImod or impulse or force-development or force-production or force time curve or (jump adj2 (height or duration or phase length)) or flight time or peak force* or limb-impulse* or phase specific or time curve or velocity or between limb difference* or between limb deficit* or ((Leg or legs or limb or limbs or knee or knees or functional or strength or muscle or index or indices or measur*) adj4 (asymmetr* or symmetr*))).mp.
- 3 and 4 and 5
- Embase 2022 to 2024, 7 September 2024 (OVID Interface)
- Date Searched: 7 September 2024; Results: 134
- anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction/
- ((Anterior cruciate ligament or ACL) adj8 (repair or reconstruct* or surgery or post-operativ* or postoperativ*)).mp.
- (forceplate* or force plate* or force platform* or Kistler or GRF or GRFs or VGRF or VGRFs or pGRF? or ground reaction force* or kinetic* or center of pressure or centre of pressure or centre of mass or center of mass or Reactive strength index or RSImod or impulse or force-development or force-production or force time curve or (jump adj2 (height or duration or phase length)) or flight time or peak force* or limb-impulse* or phase specific or time curve or velocity or between limb difference* or between limb deficit* or ((Leg or legs or limb or limbs or knee or knees or functional or strength or muscle or index or indices or measur*) adj4 (asymmetr* or symmetr*))).mp.
- (((Bilateral or unilateral or countermovement or counter or squat or drop or vertical or one-leg* or two-leg* or single-leg* or double-leg*) adj4 jump*) or drop land* or jump landing or jump down or hop-test).mp.
- (1 or 2) and 3 and 4
- limit 5 to conference abstracts
- 5 not 6
- CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCOhost Interface) 2022–2024
- Date Searched: 7 September 2024; Results: 90
- SPORTDiscus with Full Text (EBSCOhost Interface) 2022–2024
- Date Searched: 8 September 2024; Results: 110
- SCOPUS 2022–2024
- Date Searched: 8 September 2024; Results: 174
- Web of Science Core Collection (Indices = Science Citation Index (CI) Expanded, Social Sciences CI, Arts & Humanities CI, Emerging Sources CI) 2022–2024
- Date Searched: 8 September 2024; Results: 161
- Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global (Web of Science) 2022–2024
- Date Searched: 8 September 2024; Results: 8
- University of Alberta Science Direct Journals (Advanced Search) 2022–2024
- Date Searched: 8 September 2024; Results: 13
- Pubmed Central 2022–2024
- Date Searched: 8 September 2024; Results: 74
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| Inclusion Criteria | Exclusion Criteria |
|---|---|
| Human participants | Animal, cadaver, simulated or computer models |
| Original or primary quantitative data (cross-sectional with healthy control group, longitudinal with at least one kinetic force plate measurement at two different time points) | Not primary data (e.g., systematic review, literature review, meta-analysis, editorial, commentary, opinion papers or conference proceedings) |
| Primary ACLR with measurement taken at least 6 months post ACLR | Case report |
| At least one kinetic parameter measured solely by a force plate | Cross-sectional studies with no control group. Exclude if the control group is the contralateral limb |
| Participants performed drop jump or countermovement jump | Secondary ACLR (in ipsilateral or contralateral limb) |
| Concomitant significant injuries or surgical interventions to the MCL or LCL | |
| Skeletally immature participants | |
| Congenital deformities | |
| Other musculoskeletal problems that could influence force plate parameters including foot disorders, hip disorders, and lower back and pelvic problems | |
| Neurological problems that could affect balance or neuromuscular co-ordinations | |
| ACL repair (not reconstruction) where the ACL was reattached | |
| Parameters measured with tools that do not employ force plate technologies (e.g., motion capture systems, isokinetic systems, contact mats) | |
| Kinetic parameters that cannot be measured with force plates solely (e.g., joint moments) | |
| Other types of jumps or other functional activities such as walking, running, squatting, cutting, pivoting, etc.) |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) | A first-time anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, surgical tissue graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament to restore its function after injury |
| Skeletally immature | Participants under the age of 18 years old |
| Countermovement jump (CMJ) | From standing position, participant performs a downward motion to specific/self-selected depth before reversing the motion by triple-extending the hip, knee and ankle, jumping up for a maximum height |
| Drop jump (DJ) | Jumping/descending of a box placed behind a force plate, landing on the force plate and jumping vertically for a maximum height |
| Study/Year (Country) | TFS | Medical Clearance | Completed Rehabilitation | LSI | Jump Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL DJ or Combination | |||||
| Kotsifaki 2023 (Qatar) [46] | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* | SL DJ SL CMJ DL DJ DL CMJ | |
| Kotsifaki 2022 (Qatar) [47] | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* | SL DJ SL CMJ | |
| Lem 2022 (Taiwan) [50] | ✔ | ✔ | SL DJ | ||
| Read 2022 (Qatar) [62] | ✔ | ✔ | SL DJ | ||
| Read 2020 (Qatar) [57] | ✔ | ✔ | SL DJ | ||
| Kilic 2018 (Turkey) [45] | ✔ | SL DJ | |||
| Ortiz 2008 (USA) [55] | SL DJ | ||||
| SL CMJ or Combination | |||||
| Chen 2024 (China) [37] Chen 2024 (China) [38] | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* | SL CMJ DL CMJ | |
| Maestroni 2023 (Qatar) [51] | ✔ | ✔ | SL CMJ DL CMJ | ||
| Maestroni 2023 (Qatar) [61] | ✔ | SL CMJ DL CMJ | |||
| Giesche 2022 (Germany) [40] | ✔ | ✔ | ✔^ | SL CMJ | |
| Weidauer 2022 (USA) [58] | ✔ | SL CMJ DL CMJ | |||
| O’Malley 2018 (Ireland) [54] | ✔ | SL CMJ | |||
| Holsgaard-Larsen 2014 (Denmark) [42] | ✔ | ✔ | SL CMJ DL CMJ | ||
| DL DJ or Combination | |||||
| Andrade 2023 (Portugal) [32] | ✔ | DL DJ | |||
| Jeon 2022 (USA) [31] | ✔ | ✔ | DL DJ | ||
| Kuntze 2021 (Canada) [49] | ✔ | DL DJ | |||
| Chang 2020 (USA) [34] Huang 2020 (USA) [36] Chang 2018 (USA) [35] | ✔ | ✔ | DL DJ | ||
| Shimizu 2020 (USA) [63] | ✔ | ✔ | DL DJ | ||
| Krysak 2019 (USA) [48] | ✔ | ✔ | DL DJ DL CMJ | ||
| Shimizu 2019 (USA) [64] Shimizu 2019 (USA) [65] | ✔ | ✔ | DL DJ | ||
| Grooms 2018 (USA) [41] | ✔ | ✔ | DL DJ | ||
| Funk 2016 (USA) [39] | ✔ | DL DJ | |||
| Mohammadi 2012 (Iran) [53] | ✔ | DL DJ | |||
| Paterno 2007 (USA) [56] | ✔ | ✔ | DL DJ | ||
| DL CMJ or Combination | |||||
| Gagnon 2024 (Canada) [60] | ✔ | DL CMJ | |||
| Costley 2023 (Ireland) [59] | ✔ | DL CMJ | |||
| Miles 2019 (Ireland) [52] | ✔ | DL CMJ | |||
| Jordan 2018 (Canada) [43] | ✔ | DL CMJ | |||
| Jordan 2015 (Canada) [44] | ✔ | DL CMJ | |||
| Castanharo 2011 (Brazil) [33] | ✔ | DL CMJ | |||
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© 2026 by the authors. Published by MDPI on behalf of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Share and Cite
Christoffel, L.; Beaupre, L.; Nathanail, S.; Labban, W.; Sommerfeldt, M.; Westover, L.; Thornton, G.M. Clearance Criteria for Determining Eligibility for Force Plate Testing After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Scoping Review. Medicina 2026, 62, 503. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62030503
Christoffel L, Beaupre L, Nathanail S, Labban W, Sommerfeldt M, Westover L, Thornton GM. Clearance Criteria for Determining Eligibility for Force Plate Testing After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Scoping Review. Medicina. 2026; 62(3):503. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62030503
Chicago/Turabian StyleChristoffel, Landon, Lauren Beaupre, Stephanie Nathanail, Wasim Labban, Mark Sommerfeldt, Lindsey Westover, and Gail M. Thornton. 2026. "Clearance Criteria for Determining Eligibility for Force Plate Testing After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Scoping Review" Medicina 62, no. 3: 503. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62030503
APA StyleChristoffel, L., Beaupre, L., Nathanail, S., Labban, W., Sommerfeldt, M., Westover, L., & Thornton, G. M. (2026). Clearance Criteria for Determining Eligibility for Force Plate Testing After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Scoping Review. Medicina, 62(3), 503. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62030503

