Cruciate ligament tensile forces during the forward and side lunge

BackgroundAlthough weight bearing lunge exercises are frequently employed during anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation, cruciate ligament tensile forces are currently unknown while performing forward and side lunge exercises with and without a stride.MethodsEighteen subjects used their 12 repetition maximum weight while performing a forward lunge and side lunge with and without a stride. A motion analysis system and biomechanical model were used to estimate cruciate ligament forces during lunging as a function of 0–90° knee angles.FindingsComparing the forward lunge to the side lunge across stride variations, mean posterior cruciate ligament forces ranged between 205 and 765 N and were significantly greater (P < 0.0025) in the forward lunge long at 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, and 80° knee angles of the descent phase and at 80°, 70°, 60° knee angles of the ascent phase. There were no significant differences (P < 0.0025) in mean posterior cruciate ligament forces between with and without stride differences across lunging variations. There were no anterior cruciate ligament forces quantified while performing forward and side lunge exercises.InterpretationClinicians should be cautious in prescribing forward and side lunge exercises during early phases of posterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation due to relatively high posterior cruciate ligament forces that are generated, especially during the forward lunge at knee angles between 40° and 90° knee angles. Both the forward and side lunges appear appropriate during all phases of anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation. Understanding how forward and side lunging affect cruciate ligament loading over varying knee angles may help clinicians better prescribe lunging exercises in a safe manner during anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation.