BACKGROUND: After anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), quadriceps strength must be maximized as early as possible. OBJECTIVES: We tested whether local vibration training (LVT) during the early post-ACLR period (ie, approximately 10 weeks) could improve strength recovery. METHODS: This was a multicentric, open, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial. Thirty individuals attending ACLR were randomized by use of a dedicated Web application to 2 groups: vibration (standardized rehabilitation plus LVT, n = 16) or control (standardized rehabilitation alone, n = 14). Experimenters, physiotherapists and participants were not blinded. Both groups received 24 sessions of standardized rehabilitation over ~10 weeks. In addition, the vibration group received 1 hr of vibration applied to the relaxed quadriceps of the injured leg at the end of each rehabilitation session. The primary outcome -- maximal isometric strength of both injured and non-injured legs (ie, allowing for limb asymmetry measurement) -- was evaluated before ACLR (PRE) and after the 10-week rehabilitation (POST). RESULTS: Seven participants were lost to follow-up, so data for 23 participants were used in the complete-case analysis. For the injured leg, the mean (SD) decrease in maximal strength from PRE to POST was significantly lower for the vibration than control group (n = 11, -16% (10) versus n = 12, -30% (11); p = 0.0045, Cohen's d effect size 1.33). Mean PRE-POST change in limb symmetry was lower for the vibration than control group (-19% (11) versus -29% (13)) but not significantly (p = 0.051, Cohen's d effect size 0.85). CONCLUSION: LVT improved strength recovery after ACLR. This feasibility study suggests that LVT applied to relaxed muscles is a promising modality of vibration therapy that could be implemented early in ACLR. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02929004.

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