Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42227009›Full record

ArticleJournal of orthopaedics and sports medicine2026

Evaluating the Benefits of Neuromuscular vs. Strength-Only Training in Athletes for ACL Re-Injury Prevention.

Akshay Bharadwaj, Marcel P Fraix, Devendra K Agrawal

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of orthopaedics and sports medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Akshay BharadwajDepartment of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, California, USA.
Marcel P FraixDepartment of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, California, USA.
Devendra K AgrawalDepartment of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, California, USA.

Funding

Research Education Program to Promote Diversity in Immunologic and Allergic DiseasesR25AI179582 · NIAID · WESTERN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES · PI Devendra K. Agrawal · 2025 to 2026
$756k
NIAID NIH HHS R25 AI179582
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most prevalent injuries occurring in athletes. These injuries are highly prevalent in cutting sports such as basketball, football, and soccer. Additionally, there is a significant risk of re-injury for athletes who return to their sports without proper rehabilitation. Neuromuscular training, or NMT, is a more comprehensive form of rehabilitation focused on aspects such as plyometrics, agility training, and balance. The goal of this study is to compare the efficacy of NMT- focused rehabilitation to strength-only rehabilitation. This study was executed as a narrative review gathering various published research articles from Google Scholar and PubMed. The studies showed that NMT is strongly linked to lower re-injury rates compared to conventional rehabilitation programs. Arundale et al. (2018) reports a re-injury rate of 2.5% following an NMT-focused prevention program, while Paterno et al. (2014) reports a 29.5% re-injury rate following a strength-focused program. Additionally, specific improvements in biomechanical outcomes were noted, such as reduced knee abduction movement and improved hop test symmetry. The studies also highlighted predictors of risk of re-injury, such as younger age, female sex, and time-based return to sport as opposed to criteria-based return to sport. Overall, the conclusion is that NMT should be incorporated alongside a strength training program to produce the most optimal outcomes in athletes returning to their sport following an ACL injury.

Indexed as

ACL Reconstruction (ACLR)Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)Biomechanical OutcomesKnee Abduction Moment (KAM)Landing MechanicsNeuromuscular Training (NMT)Re-injury IncidenceReturn-to-sports (RTS)Secondary Prevention

Identifiers

PMID42227009
PMCPMC13218744

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.