Special treadmill training may help ACL recovery
NCT ID NCT06529692
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether walking on a split-belt treadmill (where each leg moves at a different speed) can improve how the knee loads weight after ACL reconstruction. Nine people who had ACL surgery within the past 10 months will be randomly assigned to one of two training groups or a placebo group. The goal is to gather pilot data for a larger future trial.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- split-belt treadmill training
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple walking exercise to help people regain normal knee function after ACL surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 9 people, so results may not apply to everyone. It is designed to gather data for a future trial, not to prove effectiveness yet.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 9 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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14 to 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * aged 14-45 years * suffered an acute, complete ACL rupture as confirmed by MRI and physical exam * have undergone ACL reconstruction w autograft within the past 10 months * willingness to participate in testing and follow-up as outlined in the protocol * English-speaking Exclusion Criteria: * inability to provide written informed consent * female subjects who are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant (self-reported) * previous ACL injury * previous surgery to either knee * bony fracture accompanying ACL injury * patients who experienced a knee dislocation * patients who had their ACL reconstructed with an allograft * patients who underwent a multi-ligamentous and/or staged ACL reconstruction
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Michigan
RECRUITINGAnn Arbor, Michigan, 48176, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- 24 sensors map muscle oxygen after ACL surgery
- Knee surgery for Over-50s: does a specialized ACL technique match younger Patients' results?
- Could a Parent's hamstring tendon rebuild a Child's torn ACL?
- Which workout rebuilds a repaired knee best? a head-to-head trial of movement vs stability training
- Stem cell byproduct may boost ACL graft healing — trial puts it to the test
- Bone scaffold may help ACL grafts heal stronger