Efficacy of Ozone- and Ultrasound-Assisted Rehabilitation on Knee Muscle Strength, Range of Motion, and Pain Sensitivity in Basketball Players with Partial ACL Tears

Objective: The main goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a ۱۲-week multimodal rehabilitation program consisting of ozone bagging, and pulsed ultrasound therapy, along with progressive strength training, on key parameters like muscle strength, knee range of motion (ROM), and pain sensitivity in a group of male basketball players suffering from MRI-verified partial anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Methods: This research design can be characterized as a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study that involved a single group. A total of ten male basketball players (mean age: ۲۴.۳ ± ۲.۸ years) suffering from isolated partial ACL tears (duration of injury: ۴–۸ weeks) participated in a ۱۲-week intervention including ۳۶ sessions (۳ sessions/week). The intervention integrated ozone therapy (۳۰ µg/mL for ۱۵ min via bagging), pulsed ultrasound (۱.۵ W/cm², ۱ MHz, ۵ m), and a four-phase progressive exercise protocol. The primary outcomes comprised quadriceps strength (handheld dynamometer), active knee ROM (goniometer), and pressure pain threshold (PPT; Wagner FPX۲۵ algometer). The circumferences of the knee were measured as secondary outcomes. The differences between the two time points of each subject were evaluated by applying the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with a significance level set at ۰.۰۵ (α = ۰.۰۵). Results: The findings showed that all primary and secondary measures had significantly improved (p=۰.۰۰۵) along with the large effect sizes (r=۰.۸۹). The strength of the quadriceps grew by ۱۸۹% (from ۲۰.۳۰ ± ۳.۷۷ kg to ۵۸.۶۶ ± ۹.۸۸ kg). The flexion movement of the knee was better than the start (from ۱۱۸.۴° to ۱۳۲.۴°), the extension was reduced from ۱۱.۱° to ۲.۲°, and the rotational mobility improved (the internal: was ۷.۵° to ۱۵.۴°; the external: was ۲۰.۳° to ۳۵.۸°). The increase in the PPT was ۱۴۳% (from ۱۸.۹۰ ± ۳.۱۴ N to ۴۶.۰۰ ± ۸.۰۸ N), additionally, the knee circumference was reduced by ۳.۷ cm (from ۴۲.۶۰ ± ۲.۱۷ cm to ۳۸.۹۰ ± ۱.۴۵ cm). Discussion: The rehabilitation program over ۱۲ weeks that included ozone and ultrasound has not only statistically but also significantly enhanced the condition of basketball players suffering from partial ACL tears in the areas of strength, ROM, sensitivity to pain and swelling.

کلیدواژه ها:

Anterior cruciate ligament ، partial ACL tear ، ozone therapy ، ultrasound ، rehabilitation ، knee range of motion