Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most common and typical sports injuries. Neuromuscular proprioceptive training has been widely used in clinical practice in recent years due to its significant therapeutic effects, but the correlation between proprioception and ACL injury is still lacking in-depth exploration. ACL injury can result in the loss of mechanoreceptors, which in turn affects proprioceptive signal afferents, resulting in impaired neuromuscular control. Impaired neuromuscular control, in turn, can cause ligamentous structures to be overburdened beyond their stretch thresholds, leading to proprioceptive impairment, creating a vicious cycle. Based on neuromuscular control theory, this article further discusses the relationship between proprioception and ACL injury, aiming to provide new ideas for rehabilitation after ACL injury.
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is characterized not only by joint structural degeneration and pain but also by proprioceptive deficits and impaired sensorimotor control, which may further compromise joint stability and functional performance. Proprioceptive dysfunction in KOA may involve multiple mechanisms, including altered peripheral sensory input, pain-related modulation, muscle weakness, impaired neuromuscular control, and altered central sensorimotor integration. However, there are still limitations to various training methods, including inconsistent assessment protocols, limited methodological quality, and insufficient evidence regarding long-term effectiveness. Future high-quality studies based on clinical phenotype stratification are needed to advance precision rehabilitation strategies for KOA. This article summarizes the assessment methods, underlying mechanisms, and advances in rehabilitation interventions for proprioceptive dysfunction in KOA from the perspective of sensorimotor control, with the aim of providing a reference for its assessment and individualized rehabilitation.