Sensomotorics of the Knee Joint

This neurophysiological study reports on the sensomotoric potential of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in a sheep model. The results confirm the hypothesis of the existence of a ligamentomuscular reflex loop between ligamentary mechanoreceptors and the joint-stabilising muscles. The mechanical loading of the ACL triggered mainly the activity of the hamstrings, whereas the loading of the PCL led to the activation of the quadriceps. The loading of the collateral ligaments led to a weaker and less constant triggering of the ligamentomuscular reflex arch.