Principles of brain plasticity in improving sensorimotor function of the knee and leg in patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury: a double-blind randomized exploratory trial

Table 1 Characteristics of the subjects

Characteristic	EMLA group (n = 20)	Placebo group (n = 19)
Age (y)*	25 (5.6)	23 (4.9)
Women (n)	10	9
BMI*	23.7 (3.1)	24.3 (2.9)
ACL injury (ACL reconstruction) (n)	6 (14)	9 (10)
Time after ACL injury or ACL reconstruction (weeks)^‡	54 (17–315)	48 (10–243)
Previous contralateral ACL injury/reconstruction (n)	2	2
Tegner activity level^†	2 (2–4)	4 (2–6)
KOOS subscales*
Pain	82 (10.8)	78 (12.2)
Symptoms	74 (12.0)	72 (14.3)
ADL	90 (8.6)	90 (10.4)
Sport/Rec	47 (20.9)	47 (24.7)
QOL	41 (12.4)	40 (10.5)

* Mean (SD), † median (quartiles), ^‡ mean (range), BMI; body mass index.
ACL reconstruction: hamstring tendons graft, n = 23, patellar tendon graft, n = 1.
The Tegner Activity Scale, ranges from 0 to 10, least to hardest strenuous activity for the knee. A Tegner activity level of 2 is equal to recreational sports such as golf, cycling and swimming, an activity level of 4 is equal to recreational sports such as jogging, aerobics, or cross-country skiing and a Tegner activity level of 6 is equal to recreational sports such as tennis or badminton and competitive sports such as orienteering.