Understanding muscle and joint recovery after different ACL treatments

Neuromuscular response to competing ACL surgeries

NIH-funded research Rhode Island Hospital · NIH-11146762

This project looks at how your muscles and joints recover after two different types of ACL surgery, comparing a new healing method to the standard approach.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionRhode Island Hospital NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Providence, United States)
Project IDNIH-11146762 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

We are looking at patients who are part of the BEAR-MOON Trial to understand how their nerves and muscles respond to two different ACL surgeries. One surgery, called BEAR, helps your own torn ligament heal using a special scaffold, keeping your natural nerve connections intact. The other, standard ACL reconstruction (ACLR), replaces the torn ligament with a graft, which means removing some of your original tissue and nerve structures. We want to see if preserving these natural connections with BEAR leads to better muscle recovery and joint movement compared to ACLR, which could help prevent long-term problems like arthritis.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are individuals who have experienced an ACL injury and are considering or have already participated in the BEAR-MOON Trial.

Not a fit: Patients who have not had an ACL injury or are not candidates for either the BEAR or ACLR procedures would not directly benefit from this specific research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us understand why the newer BEAR procedure might lead to better muscle recovery and joint function, potentially guiding future treatment decisions for ACL injuries.

How similar studies have performed: Early clinical findings suggest that muscle strength may recover better with the BEAR procedure compared to standard ACL reconstruction, and the larger BEAR-MOON Trial is already comparing the two treatments.

Where this research is happening

Providence, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions ACL injury
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.