Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32631074›Full record

Trial reportThe American journal of sports medicine2020

Utility of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Preserve Quadriceps Muscle Fiber Size and Contractility After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries and Reconstruction: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Blinded Trial.

Michael J Toth, Timothy W Tourville, Thomas B Voigt, Rebecca H Choquette, Bradley M Anair, Michael J Falcone, Mathew J Failla, Jennifer E Stevens-Lapslaey, Nathan K Endres, James R Slauterbeck and 1 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The American journal of sports medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02945553 (Prevention of Skeletal Muscle Adaptations to Traumatic Knee Injury and Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 38 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
7.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02945553 phase1 / phase2completednot on this map

Prevention of Skeletal Muscle Adaptations to Traumatic Knee Injury and Surgery

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of VermontRan2016 to 2019Enrolled25ConditionsAnterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionArmsNeuromuscular electrical stimulation, Microstimulation
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Guideline
  6. Pooled it
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  11. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation preserves muscle strength early after total knee arthroplasty: Effects on muscle fiber size.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2023
    Trial
  12. Article
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  14. Review
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  18. Wearable Bioelectronics for Home-Based Monitoring and Treatment of Muscle Atrophy.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025
    Review
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  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Michael J TothDepartment of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Timothy W TourvilleDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Thomas B VoigtDepartment of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Rebecca H ChoquetteDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Bradley M AnairDepartment of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Michael J FalconeDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Mathew J FaillaDepartment of Rehabilitation and Movement Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Jennifer E Stevens-LapslaeyDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Nathan K EndresDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
James R SlauterbeckDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Bruce D BeynnonDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
University of Vermont · USUniversity of Colorado Denver · US

Funding

Prevention of Skeletal Muscle Adaptations to Traumatic Knee Injury and SurgeryR21AR069199 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT & ST AGRIC COLLEGE · PI BEYNNON, BRUCE, TOTH, MICHAEL J · 2016 to 2017
$376k
NIAMS NIH HHS R21 AR069199
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and reconstruction (ACLR) promote quadriceps muscle atrophy and weakness that can persist for years, suggesting the need for more effective rehabilitation programs. Whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can be used to prevent maladaptations in skeletal muscle size and function is unclear. PURPOSE: To examine whether early NMES use, started soon after an injury and maintained through 3 weeks after surgery, can preserve quadriceps muscle size and contractile function at the cellular (ie, fiber) level in the injured versus noninjured leg of patients undergoing ACLR. STUDY

designRandomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

methodsPatients (n = 25; 12 men/13 women) with an acute, first-time ACL rupture were randomized to NMES (5 d/wk) or sham (simulated microcurrent electrical nerve stimulation; 5 d/wk) treatment to the quadriceps muscles of their injured leg. Bilateral biopsies of the vastus lateralis were performed 3 weeks after surgery to measure skeletal muscle fiber size and contractility. Quadriceps muscle size and strength were assessed 6 months after surgery.

resultsA total of 21 patients (9 men/12 women) completed the trial. ACLR reduced single muscle fiber size and contractility across all fiber types (

conclusionEarly NMES use reduced skeletal muscle fiber atrophy in MHC II fibers and preserved contractility in MHC I fibers. These results provide seminal, cellular-level data demonstrating the utility of the early use of NMES to beneficially modify skeletal muscle maladaptations to ACLR. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our results provide the first comprehensive, cellular-level evidence to show that the early use of NMES mitigates early skeletal muscle maladaptations to ACLR. REGISTRATION: NCT02945553 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).

Indexed as

Anterior Cruciate Ligament InjuriesAnterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionElectric Stimulation TherapyFemaleHumansMaleMuscle ContractionMuscle Fibers, SkeletalMuscle StrengthOrgan SizeQuadriceps MuscleACLkneerehabilitationweakness

Identifiers

PMID32631074
PMCPMC7775613
OpenAlexW3039593675

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.