How different ACL surgeries affect knee muscle control
Neuromuscular response to competing ACL surgeries
This project compares whether a newer ligament-healing approach called BEAR helps people with ACL tears keep more normal muscle use and knee movement than standard ACL reconstruction.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rhode Island Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11282935 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be one of the BEAR-MOON Trial participants whose knee function is monitored after either BEAR or standard ACL reconstruction. The team will record how your thigh and leg muscles activate during movements like hopping and will measure knee motion with motion-capture tests. They will use machine learning to analyze muscle activation and movement data to see if BEAR preserves more normal neuromuscular patterns than reconstruction. The project adds a second site in Minnesota to include more patients and strengthen the results.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with a recent ACL tear who are enrolled in the BEAR-MOON Trial at a participating center.
Not a fit: People who are not eligible for the BEAR-MOON Trial, have chronic or partial ACL injuries not treated by these procedures, or who cannot attend participating sites may not benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help surgeons choose an operation that better preserves muscle control and may improve long-term knee function after ACL tear.
How similar studies have performed: Early clinical studies report that BEAR restored muscle strength at two-year follow-up more than ACL reconstruction, while applying machine learning to link neuromuscular patterns to movement is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Providence, United States
- Rhode Island Hospital — Providence, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beveridge, Jillian Elizabeth — Rhode Island Hospital
- Study coordinator: Beveridge, Jillian Elizabeth
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.