Comparison of proprioception, strength, and dynamic balance between aquatic and cycling trainings after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy during early rehabilitation in young male athletes

Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) strives to preserve knee biomechanics and function after the meniscal rupture. However, patients undergoing APM experience long-term impacts like proprioceptive deficit and functional decline. This study aimed to examine and compare the effects of aquatic and leg cycling trainings on young athletes undergone APM. Ninety-seven male athletes with APM were assigned to aquatic training group (ATG, n = 49) and cycling training group (CTG, n = 48). Both intervention trainings were conducted three times a week for 6 weeks after 2 weeks of APM. The rehabilitation training was the same in each session. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaire scores, knee joint position sense, Y-balance test, and isokinetic knee strength were measured before and after the interventions. Significant improvements were observed after the trainings regarding measured variables for both ATG and CTG groups. Comparison of the two groups found that ATG group had higher scores in IKDC and Y-balance test, greater muscle power, and lower absolute error in the joint position sense test compared to the CTG group. ATG and CTG are thus considered effective training interventions in early rehabilitation phase following the APM. Moreover, ATG may be more conducive than CTG in improving subjective knee symptoms, proprioception, and muscle power.