The Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries among Competitive Alpine Skiers

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1070-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Pujol ◽  
Marie Philippe Rousseaux Blanchi ◽  
Pierre Chambat

Background Little is known about the evolution of anterior cruciate ligament injury rates among elite alpine skiers. Purpose To evaluate epidemiologic aspects of anterior cruciate ligament injuries among competitive alpine skiers during the last 25 years. Study Design Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods Data were collected from elite French national teams (379 athletes: 188 women and 191 men) from 1980 to 2005. Results Fifty-three of the female skiers (28.2%) and 52 of the male skiers (27.2%) sustained at least 1 anterior cruciate ligament injury. The overall anterior cruciate ligament injury incidence was 8.5 per 100 skier-seasons. The primary anterior cruciate ligament injury rate was 5.7 per 100 skier-seasons. The prevalence of reinjury (same knee) was 19%. The prevalence of a bilateral injury (injury of the other knee) was 30.5%. At least 1 additional anterior cruciate ligament surgery (mean, 2.4 procedures) was required for 39% of the injured athletes. Men and women were similar with regard to primary anterior cruciate ligament injury rate (P = .21), career remaining after the injury (P = .44), and skiing specialty (P = .5). There were more anterior cruciate ligament injuries (primary, bilateral, reinjuries) among athletes ranking in the world Top 30 (P < .001). Anterior cruciate ligament-injured athletes had a career length of 7.5 years, whereas athletes with no anterior cruciate ligament injury had a career of 4.5 years (P < .001). Finally, injury rates remained constant over time. Conclusion Anterior cruciate ligament injury rates (primary injury, bilateral injury, reinjury) among national competitive alpine skiers are high and have not declined in the last 25 years. Finding a way to prevent anterior cruciate ligament injury in this population is a very important goal.

1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 614-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward M. Wojtys ◽  
Laura J. Huston ◽  
Thomas N. Lindenfeld ◽  
Timothy E. Hewett ◽  
Mary Lou V. H. Greenfield

Anterior cruciate ligament injury rates are four to eight times higher in women than in men. Because of estrogen's direct effect on collagen metabolism and behavior and because neuromuscular performance varies during the menstrual cycle, it is logical to question the menstrual cycle's effect on knee injury rates. Of 40 consecutive female athletes with acute anterior cruciate ligament injuries (less than 3 months), 28 (average age, 23 11 years) met the study criteria of regular menstrual periods and noncontact injury. Details concerning mechanism of injury, menstrual cycle, contraceptive use, and previous injury history were collected. A chi-square test was used to compute observed and expected frequencies of anterior cruciate ligament injury based on three different phases of the menstrual cycle: follicular (days 1 to 9), ovulatory (days 10 to 14), and luteal (day 15 to end of cycle). A significant statistical association was found between the stage of the menstrual cycle and the likelihood for an anterior cruciate ligament injury (P 0.03). In particular, there were more injuries than expected in the ovulatory phase of the cycle. In contrast, significantly fewer injuries occurred in the follicular phase. These hormones may be a factor in the knee ligament injury dilemma in women.


2008 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter L. Jenkins ◽  
Susanne G. Raedeke ◽  
D.S. Blaise Williams

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are more prevalent in female athletes than in male athletes. Basketball is a high-risk sport for anterior cruciate ligament injury in female athletes. This study was conducted to observe the effect of a foot orthosis on the knee ligament injury rate in female basketball players at one US university. Methods: One hundred fifty-five players on the women’s basketball team were observed for knee ligament injury from 1992 to 2005. Athletes in the 1992–1993 to 1995–1996 school years (July–June) did not receive a foot orthosis and served as the control group; the treatment group comprised the athletes during the 1996–1997 to 2004–2005 school years (July–June). Athletes in the treatment group received a foot orthosis before participating in basketball. Data analysis included knee ligament injury rates and a comparison of injury rates with an incidence density ratio. Results: Athletes in the control group had three collateral ligament injuries and three anterior cruciate ligament injuries, for an injury rate of 0.50 for both the anterior cruciate ligament and collateral ligaments. Athletes in the treatment group had four collateral ligament injuries and one anterior cruciate ligament injury, for an injury rate of 0.29 for the collateral ligaments and 0.07 for the anterior cruciate ligament. Athletes in the control group were 1.72 times more likely to sustain a collateral ligament injury and 7.14 times more likely to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament injury than the treatment group. Conclusions: Foot orthoses may contribute to a decreased knee ligament injury rate in female collegiate basketball players. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 98(3): 207–211, 2008)


2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1579-1602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce D. Beynnon ◽  
Robert J. Johnson ◽  
Joseph A. Abate ◽  
Braden C. Fleming ◽  
Claude E. Nichols

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are common among athletes. Although the true natural history remains unclear, anterior cruciate ligament injuries are functionally disabling; they predispose the knee to subsequent injuries and the early onset of osteoarthritis. This article, the first in a 2-part series, was initiated with the use of the PubMed database and a comprehensive search of articles that appeared between January 1994 to the present, using the keywords anterior cruciate ligament. A total of 3810 citations were identified and reviewed to determine the current state of knowledge about the treatment of these injuries. Articles pertaining to the biomechanical behavior of the anterior cruciate ligament, the prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament injury, the natural history of the anterior cruciate ligament–deficient knee, injuries associated with anterior cruciate ligament disruption, risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injury, indications for treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, and nonoperative and operative treatments were obtained, reviewed, and served as the basis for part I. Part II, to be presented in another issue of this journal, includes technical aspects of anterior cruciate ligament surgery, bone tunnel widening, graft healing, rehabilitation after reconstruction, and the effect of sex, age, and activity level on the outcome of surgery. Our approach was to build on prior reviews and to provide an overview of the literature for each of the before-mentioned areas of study by summarizing the highest level of scientific evidence available. For the areas that required a descriptive approach to research, we focused on the prospective studies that were available; for the areas that required an experimental approach, we focused on the prospective, randomized controlled trials and, when necessary, the highest level of evidence available. We were surprised to learn that considerable advances have been made during the past decade regarding the treatment of this devastating injury.


Author(s):  
Sarah Hirst ◽  
Elin Armeau ◽  
Thomas Parish

Purpose: Women have a much higher rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury than men. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are very expensive as well as physically and emotionally debilitating. Understanding why anterior cruciate ligament injuries are more prevalent in women as compared to men is crucial and addressing these issues to possibly prevent their high occurrence is important. Review of Literature: Hormonal differences, structural differences, musculature differences, and mechanical differences between men and women leave women more susceptible to anterior cruciate ligament injury. While there are many factors contributing to the higher rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury in women versus men, newer research has been devoted to addressing the issues that can be corrected and the discrepancies that can be decreased. Investigators are now taking the results from such research and applying them to women to decrease the occurrence of anterior cruciate ligament injury among this group. Results: Promising outcomes have occurred in neuromuscular and proprioceptive training programs designed to help women strengthen and train the muscles around their knee thus leading to better stabilization and therefore decreasing the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury. Conclusion: Future research should be devoted to finding all of the possible factors of the increased incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury in women and all potential avenues for preventing these injuries should be studied.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  

In this study tried to investigate the prevalence of incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in collegiate male soccer and volleyball. Because it seems the injury in ACL is more common in soccer and volleyball players. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most commonly disrupted ligaments in the knee. Male college athletes have higher rates of anterior cruciate ligament injury. Rates of anterior cruciate ligament injuries for men in collegiate in two sports activity have not been examined. Understanding anterior cruciate ligament injury incidence in soccer and volleyball, a contact and non-contact sport for men, could further injury prevention efforts. Data were collected from Sports Cultural Olympiad male students 2012-2014 and analyzed to compare anterior cruciate ligament injuries in male college soccer and volleyball athletes from the questionnaire (n=447) and through interviews with injured players. Our results indicate volleyball players are a high-risk sport for anterior cruciate ligament injury although this sport is among non-contact activity. Our study indicated that soccer has the greatest number of ACL injuries (α =1%) rather than volleyball. Our finding may be explained by the fact that soccer involves more contact than volleyball. Factors such as age, sex, chronicity of injury, associated pathology, activity level, attitude, range of motion and motivation must all be considered to compare of ACL injury. It was suggested that these data would be helpful for the reduction of injury risks and the costs besides with proper onsite precautions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 524-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Agel ◽  
Elizabeth A. Arendt ◽  
Boris Bershadsky

Background Female collegiate athletes have been reported to have a higher rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury compared to male collegiate athletes. This finding has spawned a branch of research focused on understanding and preventing this injury pattern. Purpose To determine if the trends reported in 1994 have continued. Study Type Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods The National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System database was reviewed for all data relating to men's and women's basketball and soccer anterior cruciate ligament injuries for 1990 to 2002. Results No significant difference was seen in basketball comparing frequency of contact versus noncontact injuries between men (70.1%) and women (75.7%). Male basketball players sustained 37 contact injuries and 78 noncontact injuries. Female basketball players sustained 100 contact injuries and 305 noncontact injuries. In soccer, there was a significant difference in frequency of injury for male (49.6%) and female (58.3%) athletes when comparing contact and noncontact injuries (χ2 = 4.1, P <. 05). Male soccer players sustained 72 contact injuries and 66 noncontact injuries. Female soccer players sustained 115 contact injuries and 161 noncontact injuries. The magnitude of the difference in injury rates between male and female basketball players (0.32-0.21, P =. 93) remained constant, whereas the magnitude of the difference in the rate of injuries between male and female soccer players (0.16-0.21, P =. 08) widened. Comparing injury within gender by sport, soccer players consistently sustained more anterior cruciate ligament injuries than did basketball players. The rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury for male soccer players was 0.11 compared to 0.08 for male basketball players (P =. 002). The rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury for female soccer players was 0.33 and for female basketball players was 0.29 (P =. 04). The rates for all anterior cruciate ligament injuries for women were statistically significantly higher (P <. 01) than the rates for all anterior cruciate ligament injuries for men, regardless of the sport. In soccer, the rate of all anterior cruciate ligament injuries across the 13 years for male soccer players significantly decreased (P =. 02), whereas it remained constant for female players. Conclusions In this sample, the rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury, regardless of mechanism of injury, continues to be significantly higher for female collegiate athletes than for male collegiate athletes in both soccer and basketball. Clinical Relevance Despite vast attention to the discrepancy between anterior cruciate ligament injury rates between men and women, these differences continue to exist in collegiate basketball and soccer players. Also demonstrated is that although the rate of injury for women is higher than for men, the actual rate of injury remains low and should not be a deterrent to participation in sports.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Westin ◽  
Marita Löfgren Harringe ◽  
Björn Engström ◽  
Marie Alricsson ◽  
Suzanne Werner

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