scholarly journals Epidemiology of Recurrent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Sports: The Injury Surveillance Program, 2004-2014

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 232596711877782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itai Gans ◽  
Julia S. Retzky ◽  
Lynne C. Jones ◽  
Miho J. Tanaka

Background: An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a serious injury that can be career-ending in collegiate athletics. A rerupture after primary ACL reconstruction occurs in 1% to 11% of all athletes. Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of recurrent ACL ruptures in the 25 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program (ISP) and to identify and compare sport-specific risk factors for a recurrent ACL rupture. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Athletes who experienced a primary or recurrent ACL rupture between 2004 and 2014 were identified using data from the NCAA ISP. ACL ruptures occurred in 12 of 25 sports during the study period. We assessed the rates and patterns of primary and recurrent ACL ruptures and reported them as events per 10,000 athlete-exposures (AEs). Sex-comparable sports were compared using rate ratios. Rupture rates were compared using odds ratios, with P values <.05 indicating significance. Regular-season and postseason data were combined because of low counts of postseason events. Results: Of 350,416 AEs, there were 1105 ACL ruptures, 126 of which were recurrent. The highest rates of recurrent ACL ruptures (per 10,000 AEs) were among male football players (15), female gymnasts (8.2), and female soccer players (5.2). Of sports played by athletes of both sexes, women’s soccer had a significantly higher rate of recurrent ACL ruptures than men’s soccer (rate ratio, 3.8 [95% CI, 1.3-15]). Among all sports, men had a significantly higher rate of recurrent ACL ruptures (4.3) than women (3.0) ( P = .04). Overall, the ratio of recurrent to primary ACL ruptures decreased over the 10-year study period. Both women and men had a decreasing trend of recurrent to primary ACL ruptures, although women had a steeper decrease. Conclusion: These data can help identify athletes who are most at risk of recurrent ACL ruptures after ACL reconstruction and who may benefit from injury prevention programs.

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Min-Leong Wong ◽  
Tanvir Khan ◽  
Chethan S Jayadev ◽  
Wasim Khan ◽  
David Johnstone

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture is a common sporting injury that frequently affects young, athletic patients. Apart from the functional problems of instability, patients with ACL deficient knees also develop osteoarthritis. Although this is frequently cited as an indication for ACL reconstruction, the relationship between ACL rupture, reconstruction and the instigation and progression of articular cartilage degenerative change is controversial. The purpose of this paper is to review the published literature with regards ACL rupture and the multifactorial causes for osteoarthritis progression, and whether or not this is slowed or stopped by ACL reconstruction. There is no evidence in the published literature to support the view that ACL reconstruction prevents osteoarthritis, although it may prevent further meniscal damage. It must be recognised that this conclusion is based on the current literature which has substantial methodological limitations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 232596711984105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Martin Wise ◽  
Robert A. Gallo

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are devastating for college football players. Although the change in functional performance of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football players after reconstruction has been shown to be negligible, studies have failed to analyze the statistical performance of these players upon their return. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to quantify the impact of ACL reconstruction on the statistical performance of collegiate football players. We hypothesized that statistical performance would vary by position and that running backs, wide receivers, and defensive backs, compared with preinjury and controls, would experience the largest decline in performance after returning from ACL reconstruction. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football players who experienced ACL tears between the years 2010 and 2015 were identified. The rates of return to play after surgery were determined for each position. Preinjury and postoperative performance statistics of each running back, receiver, defensive lineman, linebacker, and defensive back who met inclusion criteria were compared. A t-test analysis was used to compare the performance changes experienced by these players versus the performance changes of matched controls. Results: A total of 349 players were identified. Only 63.64% of eligible offensive linemen returned to play. Upon return, running backs experienced significant performance decreases compared with controls in carries (mean ± SD, –2.4 ± 2.7 vs 2.8 ± 1.6; P = .003), yards (–12.3 ± 15.5 vs 13.8 ± 7.8; P = .006), and receptions (–0.22 ± 0.32 vs 0.32 ± 0.23; P = .011) per game. Receivers displayed significant performance decreases compared with controls in number of touchdowns (–0.019 ± 0.110 vs 0.18 ± 0.06; P = .004), receptions (–0.11 ± 0.79 vs 1.2 ± 0.4; P = .004), and yards (–3.2 ± 10.6 vs 18.6 ± 5.4; P = .0009) per game. Linebackers demonstrated less improvement than controls in tackles for loss (0.007 ± 0.115 vs 0.31 ± 0.11; P = .0003) and sacks (0.001 ± 0.061 vs 0.10 ± 0.06; P = .026). Conclusion: Although offensive linemen were the least likely to return to play, running backs and receivers returned to play at a lower level of performance. The performance of defensive players was less affected by ACL reconstruction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 787-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis Anderson ◽  
Erin B. Wasserman ◽  
Sandra J. Shultz

Context Although fatigue has been implicated in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, few researchers have examined the timing of injury across a competitive sport season or within a competitive session to gain insight into the potential effects of fatigue on the incidence of ACL injury. Objective To identify the time segments across a competitive season or within an individual competition associated with the greatest ACL injury incidence. Design Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods Data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program for 2004–2005 through 2015–2016 for basketball, lacrosse, and soccer were analyzed. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) compared ACL injury rates by sport, sex, season segment, and competition period. Poisson regression was used to examine the associations between each of these categories and the incidence of ACL injury as well as interaction effects. Results During the early regular season, the incidence rate was elevated relative to the preseason (IRR = 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27, 2.74), middle regular season (IRR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.01, 2.15), late regular season (IRR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.08, 2.27), and postseason (IRR = 2.20; 95% CI = 1.06, 4.56). A sport-by-season interaction indicated this effect was largely attributable to a higher incidence in the early season among lacrosse athletes. An interaction between season segment and competition period (P = .02) revealed a greater injury incidence before halftime in the early regular season (IRR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.19, 0.76), but a greater incidence after halftime in the late regular season (IRR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.15, 5.02). Fewer noncontact injuries occurred in soccer than in basketball or lacrosse. Conclusions The ACL injury incidence was higher in the early part of the regular season, particularly among lacrosse athletes. Although the injury incidences before and after halftime were similar, further analyses of player time and time of injury within each half are necessary. Coaches and practitioners should be cognizant of the elevated injury incidence during the early season among lacrosse athletes. Future authors should consider more specific analyses to further elucidate the potential role of fatigue development in exacerbating the incidence of ACL injury in collegiate athletes both within games and across the season.


Author(s):  
Emil Vutescu ◽  
Sebastian Orman ◽  
Edgar Garcia-Lopez ◽  
Justin Lau ◽  
Andrew Gage ◽  
...  

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common injury in young athletes. To restore knee stability and function, patients often undergo ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Historically, there has been a focus in this population on the epidemiology of ACL injury, the technical aspects of ACL reconstruction, and post-operative functional outcomes. Although increasingly recognized as an important aspect in recovery, there remains limited literature examining the psychological aspects of post-operative rehabilitation and return to play following youth ACL reconstruction. Despite technical surgical successes and well-designed rehabilitation programs, many athletes never reach their preinjury athletic performance level and some may never return to their primary sport. This suggests that other factors may influence recovery, and indeed this has been documented in the adult literature. In addition to restoration of functional strength and stability, psychological and social factors play an important role in the recovery and overall outcome of ACL injuries in the pediatric population. Factors such as psychological readiness to return-to-play (RTP), motivation, mood disturbance, locus of control, recovery expectations, fear of reinjury, and self-esteem are correlated to the RTP potential of the young athlete. A better understanding of these concepts may help to maximize young patients’ outcomes after ACL reconstruction. The purpose of this article is to perform a narrative review of the current literature addressing psychosocial factors associated with recovery after ACL injury and subsequent reconstruction in young athletes. Our goal is to provide a resource for clinicians treating youth ACL injuries to help identify patients with maladaptive psychological responses after injury and encourage a multidisciplinary approach when treating young athletes with an ACL rupture.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Romanchuk ◽  
Holly Livock ◽  
Kenneth J. Lukas ◽  
Michael J. Del Bel ◽  
Daniel Benoit ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a debilitating knee injury associated with sequela such as joint instability and progressive degeneration. Unfortunately, following surgical ACL reconstruction in adolescents the rates of either ACL graft failure or contralateral ACL rupture ranges from 17–30%. A contributing factor to the high re-injury rate in this population may be the limited evidence regarding appropriate criteria for allowing unrestricted return-to-activities (RTA) post-operatively. Several systematic reviews have already sought to develop a consensus on what criteria should be utilized for releasing patients to unrestricted sports activities; however, these reviews have focused on adult populations, a group at much lower risk for re-injury. Our objective is to systematically examine the literature and identify the criteria used in existing research when determining unrestricted RTA following an ACL reconstruction in an adolescent population. Methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic search will be performed of the Medline/PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus electronic database. Searches will be conducted from January 1st, 2000 until submission of the final review. Studies will be identified that include adolescent patients (≤ 18 years old) undergoing a primary ACL reconstruction, and which have specified the criteria used to determine RTA. Each article will be independently screened by two reviewers. To supplement the electronic database search, citations within all included studies will be manually reviewed. Reviewers will record the RTA assessment utilized and the rates of ACL re-injury through a standardized data extraction sheet. Reviewers will resolve full-text screening and data extraction disagreements through discussion. Synthesis of the collected data will focus on compiling and mapping the most commonly used types of RTA criteria. Discussion This systematic review will clarify the existing evidence on RTA in adolescent patients post-ACL reconstruction. This will help future interventions build more effective adolescent-specific RTA assessments through the validation of current RTA criteria as well as the implementation of new criteria according to the identified literature gaps.


1991 ◽  
Vol 4 (01) ◽  
pp. 35-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. O. Janssens ◽  
D. L. Janssens ◽  
L. A. A. Janssens

SummaryOver a period of 14 years, three cats with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture were seen in our practice. In all, the rupture had occurred without a history of previous trauma. All were treated surgically. All died within a period of 14 days. The reason of death was in all cases cardiomyopathy. We now suggest that cats with rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament undergo an electrocardiographic recording and eventually an thoracic radiography before surgery is considered. We also suggest that cats with ACL rupture should preferably be treated conservatively.


Author(s):  
Willem M.P. Heijboer ◽  
Mathijs A.M. Suijkerbuijk ◽  
Belle L. van Meer ◽  
Eric W.P. Bakker ◽  
Duncan E. Meuffels

AbstractMultiple studies found hamstring tendon (HT) autograft diameter to be a risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction failure. This study aimed to determine which preoperative measurements are associated with HT autograft diameter in ACL reconstruction by directly comparing patient characteristics and cross-sectional area (CSA) measurement of the semitendinosus and gracilis tendon on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Fifty-three patients with a primary ACL reconstruction with a four-stranded HT autograft were included in this study. Preoperatively we recorded length, weight, thigh circumference, gender, age, preinjury Tegner activity score, and CSA of the semitendinosus and gracilis tendon on MRI. Total CSA on MRI, weight, height, gender, and thigh circumference were all significantly correlated with HT autograft diameter (p < 0.05). A multiple linear regression model with CSA measurement of the HTs on MRI, weight, and height showed the most explained variance of HT autograft diameter (adjusted R 2 = 44%). A regression equation was derived for an estimation of the expected intraoperative HT autograft diameter: 1.2508 + 0.0400 × total CSA (mm2) + 0.0100 × weight (kg) + 0.0296 × length (cm). The Bland and Altman analysis indicated a 95% limit of agreement of ± 1.14 mm and an error correlation of r = 0.47. Smaller CSA of the semitendinosus and gracilis tendon on MRI, shorter stature, lower weight, smaller thigh circumference, and female gender are associated with a smaller four-stranded HT autograft diameter in ACL reconstruction. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the combination of MRI CSA measurement, weight, and height is the strongest predictor.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 232596712098164
Author(s):  
Steven F. DeFroda ◽  
Devan D. Patel ◽  
John Milner ◽  
Daniel S. Yang ◽  
Brett D. Owens

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in National Basketball Association (NBA) players can have a significant impact on player longevity and performance. Current literature reports a high rate of return to play, but there are limited data on performance after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Purpose/Hypothesis: To determine return to play and player performance in the first and second seasons after ACLR in NBA players. We hypothesized that players would return at a high rate. However, we also hypothesized that performance in the first season after ACLR would be worse as compared with the preinjury performance, with a return to baseline by postoperative year 2. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: An online database of NBA athlete injuries between 2010 and 2019 was queried using the term ACL reconstruction. For the included players, the following data were recorded: name; age at injury; position; height, weight, and body mass index; handedness; NBA experience; dates of injury, surgery, and return; knee affected; and postoperative seasons played. Regular season statistics for 1 preinjury season and 2 postoperative seasons were compiled and included games started and played, minutes played, and player efficiency rating. Kaplan-Meier survivorship plots were computed for athlete return-to-play and retirement endpoints. Results: A total of 26 athletes underwent ACLR; of these, 84% (95% CI, 63.9%-95.5%) returned to play at a mean 372.5 days (95% CI, 323.5-421.5 days) after surgery. Career length after injury was a mean of 3.36 seasons (95% CI, 2.27-4.45 seasons). Factors that contributed to an increased probability of return to play included younger age at injury (odds ratio, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.47-0.92]; P = .0337) and fewer years of experience in the NBA before injury (odds ratio, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.45-0.93]; P = .0335). Postoperatively, athletes played a significantly lower percentage of total games in the first season (48.4%; P = .0004) and second season (62.1%; P = .0067) as compared with the preinjury season (78.5%). Player efficiency rating in the first season was 19.3% less than that in the preinjury season ( P = .0056). Performance in the second postoperative season was not significantly different versus preinjury. Conclusion: NBA players have a high rate of RTP after ACLR. However, it may take longer than a single season for elite NBA athletes to return to their full preinjury performance. Younger players and those with less NBA experience returned at higher rates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0010
Author(s):  
Brett Heldt ◽  
Elsayed Attia ◽  
Raymond Guo ◽  
Indranil Kushare ◽  
Theodore Shybut

Background: Acute anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) rupture is associated with a significant incidence of concomitant meniscal and chondral injuries. However, to our knowledge, the incidence of these concomitant injuries in skeletally immature(SI) versus skeletally mature(SM) patients has not been directly compared. SI patients are a unique subset of ACL patients because surgical considerations are different, and subsequent re-tear rates are high. However, it is unclear if the rates and types of meniscal and chondral injuries differ. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare associated meniscal and chondral injury patterns between SI and SM patients under age 21, treated with ACL reconstruction for an acute ACL tear. We hypothesized that no significant differences would be seen. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective review of primary ACL reconstructions performed from January 2012 to April 2020. Patients were stratified by skeletal maturity status based on a review of records and imaging. Demographic data was recorded, including age, sex, and BMI. Associated intra-articular meniscal injury, including laterality, location, configuration, and treatment were determined. Articular cartilage injury location, grade, and treatments were determined. Revision rates, non-ACL reoperation rates, and time to surgery were also compared between the two groups. Results: 785 SM and 208 SI patients met inclusion criteria. Mean BMI and mean age were significantly different between groups. Meniscal tear rates were significantly greater in SM versus SI patients in medial meniscus tears(P<.001), medial posterior horn tears(P=.001), medial longitudinal tears configuration(P=.007), lateral Radial configuration(P=.002), and lateral complex tears(P=.011). Medial repairs(P<.001) and lateral partial meniscectomies(P=.004) were more likely in the SM group. There was a significantly greater number of chondral injuries in the SM versus SI groups in the Lateral(p=.007) and medial compartments(P<.001). SM patients had a significantly increased number of outerbridge grade 1 and 2 in the Lateral(P<.001) and Medial Compartments(P=.013). ACL revisions(P=.019) and Non-ACL reoperations(P=.002) were significantly greater in the SI patients compared to SM. No other significant differences were noted. Conclusion: SM ACL injured patients have a significantly higher rate of medial meniscus tears and medial longitudinal configurations treated with repair, and a significantly higher rate of radial and/or complex lateral meniscus tears treated with partial meniscectomy compared to the SI group. We also found a significantly higher rate of both medial and lateral compartment chondral injuries, mainly grades 1 and 2, in SM compared to SI patients. Conversely, SI ACL reconstruction patients had higher revision and subsequent non-ACL surgery rates.


2021 ◽  
pp. 155633162199200
Author(s):  
Ravi Gupta ◽  
Anil Kapoor ◽  
Sourabh Khatri ◽  
Dinesh Sandal ◽  
Gladson David Masih

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)–deficient knee is seen in approximately 50% of affected patients. Possible causes include biochemical or biomechanical changes. Purpose: We sought to study the correlation between inflammatory cytokines and chondral damage in ACL-deficient knees. Methods: Seventy-six male patients who underwent ACL reconstruction were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Synovial fluid was aspirated before surgery and analyzed for levels of the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 (IL-1), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). At the time of ACL reconstruction, the severity of chondral damage was documented as described by the Outerbridge classification. Results: Patients with grade 2 or higher chondral damage were observed to have elevated IL-6 levels when compared to patients who had no chondral damage. Interleukin-6 levels had no correlation with the duration of injury. Conclusion: Elevated levels of IL-6 in synovial fluid were associated with chondral damage in ACL-deficient knees. Further study is warranted to determine whether inflammatory cytokines contribute to the development of OA of the knee after ACL injury.


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