Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Quadriceps Function, Landing Biomechanics, and Performance in Individuals With ACL Reconstruction

June 25, 2026 updated by: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Use of Whole-body Vibration to Acutely Improve Landing Biomechanics In Individuals With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR)

Individuals who undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are at heightened risk of secondary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury (e.g. additional injury to the ACL in either knee). One of the primary physiological consequences of ACLR is the presence of quadriceps dysfunction (i.e. reduced activation and strength) which has been linked to altered gait and landing biomechanics. Aberrant landing biomechanics have been associated with an increased risk of both primary and secondary ACL injury, thus additional research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of treatments aimed to reduce quadriceps dysfunction and restore adequate landing biomechanics in attempts to reduce secondary ACL injury. Whole-body Vibration (WBV) has demonstrated success in improving quadriceps function and gait biomechanics in individuals with ACLR, however its effectiveness on landing biomechanics is unknown. To evaluate the acute effects of WBV on landing biomechanics in those with ACLR, a non-randomized crossover-controlled trial was conducted to determine if a single bout of WBV improved landing biomechanics greater than a control condition. Participants completed two separate testing sessions (separated by at least one week) in which measures of quadriceps function and landing biomechanics were assessed before and after either a control (no WBV) or WBV intervention. Separate linear mixed-effects models of post-test values for each dependent outcome were conducted with condition (control vs WBV) and limb (ACLR vs Uninvolved) as an interaction term, and each condition pre-test values and time post-ACLR as fixed effect covariates and a random effect of subject. The investigators expect to observe a significant improvement in landing biomechanics following WBV compared to the control condition.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

36

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
        • Univesrity of North Carolina at Chapel HIll MOTION Science Institute

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Between the ages of 18-35
  • History of primary, unilateral ACLR
  • Medically cleared for unrestricted physical activity

Exclusion Criteria:

  • More than 5 years removed from ACLR
  • Currently pregnant
  • History of other lower extremity surgery
  • History of lower extremity injury in previous 6 months
  • History of neurological disorder
  • Maximal isometric quadriceps torque > 3.0 Nm/kg in the ACLR limb

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Whole body vibration followed by No Intervention (Control)
Participants in this arm will receive Whole Body Vibration followed by a washout period of 1 week, then receive the Sham Whole body vibration (Control). Each condition will be evaluated in a single session (i.e. acute effects).
Other: Whole body vibration (WBV)
Participants will stand on a WBV platform in a mini-squat position while vibration is applied during six 60-second bouts with 2 minutes of rest between each bout. WBV will be delivered at an acceleration of 2g and a frequency of 30 Hz.
Other: Sham Whole body vibration
Participants will stand on a WBV platform in a mini-squat position during six 60-second bouts with 2 minutes of rest between each bout. No vibration will be applied.
Experimental: Sham Whole body vibration (Control) followed by Whole Body Vibration
Participants in this arm will receive Sham Whole body vibration (Control) followed by a washout period of 1 week, then receive Whole Body Vibration. Each condition will be evaluated in a single session (i.e. acute effects).
Other: Whole body vibration (WBV)
Participants will stand on a WBV platform in a mini-squat position while vibration is applied during six 60-second bouts with 2 minutes of rest between each bout. WBV will be delivered at an acceleration of 2g and a frequency of 30 Hz.
Other: Sham Whole body vibration
Participants will stand on a WBV platform in a mini-squat position during six 60-second bouts with 2 minutes of rest between each bout. No vibration will be applied.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Internal Knee Adduction Moment (KAM)
Time Frame: Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Peak value during landing in both single-leg and double-leg tasks averaged over 3 trials and normalized to the product of body weight and height
Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Internal Knee Extension Moment (KEM)
Time Frame: Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Peak value during landing in both single-leg and double-leg tasks averaged over 3 trials and normalized to a product of body weight*height
Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Knee Flexion Angle (KFA)
Time Frame: Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Peak value during landing in both single-leg and double-leg tasks averaged over 3 trials
Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dynamic Postural Control
Time Frame: Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Time-to-stabilization during single-leg landing
Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Vertical Ground Reaction Force
Time Frame: Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Peak value during landing in both single-leg and double-leg tasks
Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Frontal Plane Kinematics
Time Frame: Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).
Peak value during landing in both single-leg and double-leg tasks
Separate values prior to and immediately following the intervention (within 5 minutes).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Derek Dewig, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 22, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

May 10, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 21-0305

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Deidentified individual data that supports the results will be shared beginning 9 and continuing for 36 months following publication provided the investigator who proposes to use the data has approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), or Research Ethics Board (REB), as applicable, and executes a data use/sharing agreement with UNC.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

IPD will be available beginning 9 and continuing for 36 months following publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Investigator has approved IRB, IEC, or REB and an executed data use/sharing agreement with UNC.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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