scholarly journals Should females play Australian football? You’re asking the wrong question…

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Fox ◽  
Jason Bonacci ◽  
Samantha Hoffmann ◽  
Sophia Nimphius ◽  
Natalie Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Early Years ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Sports Science ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Australian Football

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have been a rising concern in the early years of the women’s Australian Football League (AFLW) – eliciting headlines of a “knee crisis” surrounding the league. There has been a focus on female biology as the primary factor driving the high rate of ACL injuries in the AFLW. Emphasising Australian football as being dangerous for females due to their biology may be misrepresenting a root cause of the ACL injury problem, perpetuating gender stereotypes that can restrict physical development and participation of females in the sport. We propose that that a framework addressing environmental and sociocultural factors, along with biological determinants, is required to truly challenge the ACL injury problem in the AFLW. Sports science and medicine must therefore strive to understand the whole system of female Australian football, and question how to address inequities for the benefit of the athletes.

scholarly journals Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in Australian football: should women and girls be playing? You’re asking the wrong question

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Fox ◽  
Jason Bonacci ◽  
Samantha Hoffmann ◽  
Sophia Nimphius ◽  
Natalie Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Early Years ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Sports Science ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have been a rising concern in the early years of the women’s Australian Football League (AFLW), eliciting headlines of a ‘knee crisis’ surrounding the league. There has been a focus on female biology as the primary factor driving the high rate of ACL injuries in the AFLW. Emphasising Australian football (AF) as being dangerous predominantly due to female biology may be misrepresenting a root cause of the ACL injury problem, perpetuating gender stereotypes that can restrict physical development and participation of women and girls in the sport. We propose that an approach addressing environmental and sociocultural factors, along with biological determinants, is required to truly challenge the ACL injury problem in the AFLW. Sports science and medicine must therefore strive to understand the whole system of women in AF, and question how to address inequities for the benefit of the athletes.

Fifteen-Year Audit of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions in the Australian Football League From 1999 to 2013: Return to Play and Subsequent ACL Injury

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (14) ◽  
pp. 3353-3360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney C.H. Lai ◽  
Julian A. Feller ◽  
Kate E. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Risk Ratio ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Rates Of Return ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury has been a major cause of missed game time among Australian Football League (AFL) players. Return to play after ACL reconstruction is not always achieved, even among elite athletes. The rate of subsequent ACL injury in the AFL from 1990 to 2000 was high as compared with that of other elite sports. Purpose: To determine the rates of return to play and subsequent ACL injury after ACL reconstruction among AFL players from 1999 to 2013 and to explore factors associated with differing rates of return to play and subsequent ACL injury. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A total of 158 AFL players who underwent ACL reconstruction were identified from a prospectively maintained registry of AFL player injuries. Further data were gathered from official playing statistics, surgical records, and structured phone interviews. Results: The rate of return to play after an initial ACL injury was 77% (121 of 158 players). Greater preinjury playing experience and earlier selection in the AFL draft were associated with higher rates of return to play. The rate of subsequent ACL injury to either knee was 30% (48 of 158 players) and was especially high among players aged <21 years (23 of 46 players, 50%). After subsequent ACL injury, 34 of 48 players (71%) returned to play. In primary ACL reconstruction, the use of Ligament Augmentation and Reconstruction System grafts resulted in a faster return to play ( P = .001) but had a higher risk of subsequent revision reconstruction (risk ratio = 2.8, P = .048). Family history of ACL injury was associated with an increased risk of subsequent contralateral ACL injury (risk ratio = 3.8, P = .002). Conclusion: Most AFL players who underwent ACL reconstruction returned to play at least 1 AFL match. The high rate of subsequent ACL injury among AFL players demonstrates the highly demanding nature of Australian football, particularly at the elite level. The risk factors for subsequent ACL injury should be considered carefully when treatment and rehabilitation decisions are made for these high-demand athletes.

Playing Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Among Australian Football League Players From 1999 to 2013

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 1550-1556
Author(s):  
Courtney C.H. Lai ◽  
Julian A. Feller ◽  
Kate E. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Average Level ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Background: Achieving preinjury levels of athletic performance has been challenging for elite athletes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Although a recent study found that 77% of Australian Football League (AFL) players who underwent ACL reconstruction from 1999 to 2013 returned to play at the highest level, the study did not indicate how consistently or well they were able to play. Purpose: To identify the number of AFL players who returned to play consistently over 2 seasons after ACL reconstruction, compare their playing performance in these seasons with preinjury performance, and evaluate factors associated with returning to preinjury levels of performance. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Analysis included 104 AFL players who underwent ACL reconstruction between 1999 and 2013. All had played at least 10 AFL matches in 1 season before ACL injury. Ranking points, as devised by AFL statisticians, were used to measure individual playing performance. Results: Of the 104 players who played at least 10 matches in 1 season before ACL injury, 53 (51%) returned to play at least 10 matches in 2 seasons after surgery. Of these 53 players, 36 (68%) returned to their preinjury levels of performance. The 17 remaining players who did not return to their preinjury performance still performed comparably to the AFL average level after surgery. Players <25 years old (odds ratio = 2.9, P = .01) or <90 kg (odds ratio = 2.7, P = .03) had greater odds of returning to their preinjury levels of performance. Conclusion: Returning to play on a consistent basis was a substantial challenge for AFL players after ACL reconstruction. However, among players who did return to play consistently over 2 seasons, their postsurgery average performance was comparable with the AFL average level of performance, and two-thirds returned to their preinjury levels of performance. Younger and lighter players were more likely to return to their preinjury levels of performance, possibly given the nature of AFL club playing list management decisions.

ACL Injury Mechanism is Related to Articular Pressure Distribution: A Cadaveric and Finite Element Investigation

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ata M. Kiapour ◽  
Constantine K. Demetropoulos ◽  
Ali Kiapour ◽  
Carmen E. Quatman ◽  
Jason W. Levine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Pressure Distribution ◽  
Tibial Plateau ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Bone Bruise ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Injury Mechanisms ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury can be devastating, and often results in clinical sequelae that include meniscal tears, chondral lesions and osteoarthritis. Various bone bruise patterns of the femur or tibia, and bone contusions of the lateral tibial plateau have been associated in more than 80% of partial or complete ACL ruptures [1]. As quantification of articular cartilage pressure distribution under high-rate loading conditions remains challenging, validated finite element (FE) models of the knee can be used to characterize the effects of different loading parameters on tibiofemoral (TF) joint pressure distribution. This study combines high-rate cadaveric experiments with FE analysis to simulate ACL injuries and associated bone bruise patterns following landing from a jump. We hypothesized that a potential relationship exists between ACL injury mechanisms and resultant tibial plateau bone bruise patterns. This relationship may enhance our understanding of ACL injury mechanisms, which may provide insight to improve current prevention strategies that aim to decrease the risk of ACL injury and damage to secondary anatomical structures. All of this may in turn minimize associated posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis.

Classifying player positions in second-tier Australian football competitions using technical skill indicators

2021 ◽  
pp. 174795412110102
Author(s):  
Adrian J Barake ◽  
Heather Mitchell ◽  
Constantino Stavros ◽  
Mark F Stewart ◽  
Preety Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Positional Information ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Model ◽  
Sports Science ◽  
Lower Tier ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
Second Tier ◽  
Performance Statistics ◽  
Player Performance ◽  
Player Positions

Efficient recruitment to Australia’s most popular professional sporting competition, the Australian Football League (AFL), requires evaluators to assess athlete performances in many lower tier leagues that serve as pathways. These competitions and their games are frequent, widespread, and challenging to track. Therefore, independent, and reliable player performance statistics from these leagues are paramount. This data, however, is only meaningful to recruiters from AFL teams if accurate player positions are known, which was not the case for the competitions from which most players were recruited. This paper explains how this problem was recently solved, demonstrating a process of knowledge translation from academia to industry, that bridged an important gap between sports science, coaching and recruiting. Positional information which is only available from the AFL competition was used to benchmark and develop scientific classification methods using only predictor variables that are also measured in lower tier competitions. Specifically, a Multinomial Logistic model was constructed to allocate players into four primary positions, followed by a Binary Logit model for further refinement. This novel technique of using more complete data from top tier competitions to help fill informational deficiencies in lower leagues could be extended to other sports that face similar issues.

Experiences of returning to elite alpine skiing after ACL injury and ACL reconstruction

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitta Nordahl ◽  
Rita Sjöström ◽  
Maria Westin ◽  
Suzanne Werner ◽  
Marie Alricsson
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Students ◽  
Physical Ability ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Elite Level ◽  
Passive Strategies

Abstract Aim: To explore the experiences of alpine skiing at the elite level after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction. Design: A qualitative approach where semi-structured interviews were conducted, and an analysis of the manifest content was performed. Participants: Five ski high school students, two male and three female skiers, who had suffered ACL injuries and undergone ACL reconstructions. Results: Seven categories were identified. The participants described their perceived opportunities with regard to returning to alpine skiing after ACL injury and reconstruction as something positive to do with self-belief, being mentally and physically prepared, regaining confidence in their own ability, being given time and using active strategies. In contrast, perceived barriers to a return to elite alpine skiing gave rise to negative feelings, for example, fear, disheartenment, a total lack of or ambivalent confidence in their own ability and the use of passive strategies. Conclusion: The two male skiers returned to alpine skiing. They reported confidence in their own ability, active strategies and support on all levels, as well as enhanced physical ability. The female skiers did not return to their pre-injury level of competitive alpine skiing. They stated a lack of support on all levels, deterioration in their physical ability and two out of three reported passive strategies and no or ambivalent confidence in their own ability. The most important factors were family support, support on all levels, access to a physiotherapist and time given.

scholarly journals No Association Between Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture and Selected Candidate Collagen Gene Variants in Female Elite Athletes From High-Risk Team Sports

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Einar Andreas Sivertsen ◽  
Kari Bente Foss Haug ◽  
Eirik Klami Kristianslund ◽  
Anne-Marie Siebke Trøseid ◽  
Jari Parkkari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Acl Rupture ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Background: Several single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in collagen genes have been reported as predisposing factors for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. However, the evidence is conflicting and does not support a clear association between genetic variants and risk of ACL ruptures. Purpose: To assess the association of previously identified candidate SNVs in genes encoding for collagen and the risk of ACL injury in a population of elite female athletes from high-risk team sports. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 851 female Norwegian and Finnish elite athletes from team sports were included from 2007 to 2011. ACL injuries acquired before inclusion in the cohort were registered by interview. The participants were followed prospectively through 2015 to record new complete ACL injuries. Six selected SNVs were genotyped ( COL1A1: rs1800012, rs1107946; COL3A1: rs1800255; COL5A1: rs12722, rs13946; COL12A1: rs970547). Results: No associations were found between ACL rupture and the SNVs tested. Conclusion: The study does not support a role of the 6 selected SNVs in genes encoding for collagen proteins as risk factors for ACL injury. Clinical Relevance: Genetic profiling to identify athletes at high risk for ACL rupture is not yet feasible.

scholarly journals Anterior Cruciate ligament injuries of the knee:

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
G Linde Strauss ◽  
D Janse van Rensburg ◽  
C Grant ◽  
A Jansen van Rensburg ◽  
M Velleman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Mechanism Of Injury ◽  
Mri Scan ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Valgus Stress ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Abstract Background and problem statement Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are common among athletes and the general public. These injuries may lead to significant absence from activity with an associated financial and social burden. No definitive association has been described between mechanism of injury and pathology to enable us to put preventative measures in place in order to limit these injuries. Aim To determine whether there is an association between the mechanism of injury and the pathology seen on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Methods This was a cross-sectional analytical study. Eighty seven male patients with an ACL injury, who had an MRI scan of the knee within the last two years participated in this study. Participants were contacted to give consent that their information be used in this study. The mechanism of injury and the pathology seen on the MRI scan was noted and categorised into different mechanism of injury groups and associated pathology groups. Statistical analyses included summaries of the data and a test for association between mechanism of injury and pathology. Since there were multiple pathology responses to each mechanism, a modified version of the chi-square test for independence was used. A 5% level of significance was specified. Results MRI scans of ACL injuries indicated that the mechanism of a solid foot plant with rotation of the knee has a greater tendency to be associated with medial meniscal injuries (77%), and also a 54% possibility to be associated with lateral meniscal injuries. A solid foot plant with a valgus stress on the knee showed a higher incidence of associated medial collateral ligaments (MCL) injuries (41%) and femoral bone bruising (62 %). These two mechanisms of injury are the most common in ACL injuries and contribute to the clinical significance found in this study. The p-value was however not statistically significant (p=0.44, chi-square value=20.27, df=45) for any association between pathology and mechanism of injury. Conclusion Some injury mechanisms causing ACL injury were more common than others and also had more associated pathology. The most common mechanism of injury noted is a solid foot plant with either rotation of the knee or valgus stress on the knee. Strengthening tissue structures involved in those movement patterns that cause these mechanisms can possibly limit ACL injuries in athletes and the general public.  Key words Anterior cruciate ligament injury, mechanism, association, pathology, MRI scan, prevention.

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