scholarly journals ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INJURIES IN HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE AND MALE SOCCER ATHLETES: ARE MATCH ACL RATES BEING UNDERESTIMATED?

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 2325967119S0000
Author(s):  
Aaron D. Gray ◽  
Scott M. Miller ◽  
Samuel Galloway ◽  
Seth Sherman ◽  
Emily Leary ◽  
...  

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in Missouri high school female and male soccer players during the 2011-2013 seasons, using a single postseason survey sent to coaches. Our hypothesis is a single postseason survey be a feasible method to measure a large number of athletic exposures (AEs) and ACL injuries. We also hypothesize that “traditional” methods for calculating athletic exposures likely underestimate the actual burden of ACL injuries in high school soccer matches. Methods: The study was IRB approved through the University of Missouri. A web-based survey was developed and sent to every girls and boys high school soccer coach in Missouri using a Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) database. In order to calculate AEs, questions were asked about the average number of athletes who participated in tryouts, practices, and matches along with the specific number of tryouts, practices, and matches for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. Coaches were also asked the number of ACL injuries their team suffered. No medical personnel were involved in filling out the surveys. Athletic exposures (AEs) were calculated using the formulas below. Match athletic exposures were calculated using a “traditional” method and also an “athlete at risk” method. The primary outcome measure was ACL injuries. Formulas for Calculation of Athletic Exposures (AEs) Tryouts & Practice= (a*A) + (b*B) Match (Traditional)= (c*C) Match (Athlete at Risk)= (11*C) a = average number of players participating in tryouts A = number of tryout sessions b = average number of players participating in practices B = number of practices in a season c = average number of players participating in matches C = number of matches in a season Results: In total, 885 coaches were sent surveys and 160 (18.1%) coaches responded, with 84 coaches representing girls soccer teams and 76 representing boys teams. A total of 323,010 AEs (160,756 female and 162,254 male) were reported of which 228,608 AEs (71%) took place in practices. 94,402 AEs occurred in matches using the “traditional” method and 61,963 AEs in matches using the “athlete at risk” method. 36 ACL injuries (28 female and 8 male) were reported. Of the 28 female ACL injuries, 25 happened during high school soccer activities (23 match, 2 practice). 3 ACL injuries occurred outside of high school soccer activities (1 club soccer, 1 volleyball, 1 unknown.) All 8 male ACL injuries were suffered during a high school match. Female athletes had an ACL injury rate of 0.16/1000 AEs compared to male athletes 0.05/1000 AEs (Table 1). Female athletes had a practice ACL injury rate of 0.02/1000 AEs and there were no ACL injuries suffered by male athletes in practice. Female athletes had a match ACL injury rate of 0.47/1000 AEs using “traditional” method and 0.70/1000 AEs by the “athlete at risk” method. Male athletes had a match ACL injury rate of 0.18/1000 AEs “traditional” method and 0.28/1000 AEs “athlete at risk” method (Figure 1). Female high school soccer athletes had a 3.2x greater risk of ACL tear than male high school soccer athletes. Female athletes were 26x more likely to tear their ACL in a match compared to practice. ACL match injury rates were 50-55% higher using the “athlete at risk” method compared to “traditional” methods for calculating match injury rates. Conclusion/Significance: A single postseason survey sent to coaches was successful in measuring AEs and ACL injury rates for a large population of high school soccer athletes. This represents an economical and feasible mechanism compared to previous studies (Table 2) to measure ACL injury rates for a high number of teams. It also allows ACL injury rates to be measured for schools and teams that do not have certified athletic trainers. “Traditional” methods for calculating match ACL injury rates greatly under represent ACL injuries compared to the “athlete at risk” method which is more representative of true injury risk exposure. A very high percentage of ACL injuries occurred during matches even though matches were responsible for only 29% of AEs. If future studies have limited resources, they should consider not recording practice AEs and ACL injuries since the likelihood of an ACL injury occurring during practice is very low compared to a match. [Table: see text][Table: see text][Figure: see text]

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 232596712110253
Author(s):  
Tayt M. Ellison ◽  
Ilexa Flagstaff ◽  
Anthony E. Johnson

Background: Although most anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur in male athletes, female athletes are consistently observed to be at a higher risk for sports-specific ACL injury. Purpose: To provide a thorough review of what is known about the sexual dimorphisms in ACL injury to guide treatment and prevention strategies and future research. Study Design: Narrative review. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search for ACL-related studies published between January 1982 and September 2017 to identify pertinent studies regarding ACL injury epidemiology, prevention strategies, treatment outcomes, and dimorphisms. By performing a broad ACL injury search, we initially identified 11,453 articles. After applying additional qualifiers, we retained articles if they were published in English after 1980 and focused on sex-specific differences in any of 8 different topics: sex-specific reporting, difference in sports, selective training, hormonal effects, genetics, neuromuscular and kinematic control, anatomic differences, and outcomes. Results: A total of 122 articles met the inclusion criteria. In sum, the literature review indicated that female athletes are at significantly higher risk for ACL injuries than are their male counterparts, but the exact reasons for this were not clear. Initial studies focused on intrinsic differences between the sexes, whereas recent studies have shifted to focus on extrinsic factors to explain the increased risk. It is likely both intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to this increased risk, but further study is needed. In addition to female patients having an increased risk for ACL injuries, they are less likely than are male patients to undergo reconstructive surgery, and they experience worse postsurgical outcomes. Despite this, reconstructive surgery remains the gold standard when knee stability, return to sports, and high functional outcome scores are the goal, but further research is needed to determine why there is disparity in surgical rates and what surgical techniques optimize postsurgical outcomes for female patients. Conclusion: Male athletes often predominated the research concerning ACL injury and treatment, and although sex-specific reporting is progressing, it has historically been deficient. ACL injuries, prevention techniques, and ACL reconstruction require further research to maximize the health potential of at-risk female athletes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 232596712091917
Author(s):  
Andrew S. Gupta ◽  
Lauren A. Pierpoint ◽  
R. Dawn Comstock ◽  
Michael G. Saper

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common among high school athletes, with sex-based differences accounting for higher injury rates in girls. Previous epidemiological studies on ACL injuries focusing on adolescent athletes have looked at injuries across multiple sports, but few have analyzed ACL tears in solely high school soccer athletes. Purpose: To examine sex-based differences in the epidemiology of ACL injuries among high school soccer players in the United States (US). Study Design: Descriptive epidemiological study. Methods: ACL injury data for US high school soccer players were obtained from the internet-based National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study’s High School RIO (Reporting Information Online) system. Athletic trainers from a random sample of 100 high schools from 8 strata based on US Census geographic region reported data for athlete-exposures (AEs) (practice or competition) and ACL injuries from 2007 through 2017. Injury rates were calculated as the number of ACL injuries per 100,000 AEs. Subgroup differences were evaluated with rate ratios (RRs) or injury proportion ratios (IPRs) and 95% CIs. Statistical differences in demographics between groups were examined using independent t tests. Comparisons of categorical data (ie, level of play) were performed using the Wald chi-square test. Results: The reported number of ACL injuries corresponded to weighted national estimates of 41,025 (95% CI, 33,321-48,730) ACL injuries in boys’ soccer and 110,028 (95% CI, 95,349-124,709) in girls’ soccer during the study period. The rate of injuries was higher in girls’ soccer (13.23/100,000 AEs) than boys’ soccer (4.35/100,000 AEs) (RR, 3.04 [95% CI, 2.35-3.98]). The rate of ACL injuries was higher in competition compared with practice for girls (RR, 14.77 [95% CI, 9.85-22.15]) and boys (RR, 8.69 [95% CI, 5.01-15.08]). Overall, a smaller proportion of ACL injuries were caused by player-player contact for girls (30.1%) compared with boys (48.6%) (IPR, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.41-0.93]). Conclusion: ACL injury rates and patterns in high school soccer players differed between sex, type of exposure (practice vs competition), and mechanism of injury.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 2325967119S0015
Author(s):  
Andrew Gupta ◽  
Lauren Pierpoint ◽  
Dawn Comstock ◽  
Michael Saper

BACKGROUND Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common among adolescent athletes, with soccer being the sport most frequently implicated in girls’ ACL injuries. The current literature on ACL injuries, while extensive, lacks a comprehensive study of ACL injuries in United States (US) high school soccer players. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of ACL injuries among US high school soccer players. METHODS ACL injury and athlete exposure (AE) data for US high school soccer players were obtained from the internet-based National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance System, High School RIO (Reporting Information Online) dataset collected from school years 2007-2008 through 2016-2017. Injury rates were calculated as the number of ACL injuries per 100,000 AEs. Subgroup differences were evaluated with rate ratios (RRs) or injury proportion ratios (IPRs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). Subgroup differences were examined with independent t-tests. Comparisons of categorical data (i.e., mechanism of injury) were performed using Pearson’s?2 tests. RESULTS The number of ACL injuries reported to High School RIO corresponded to weighted national estimates of 41,205 (95% CI = 33,321 – 48,730) ACL injuries in boys’ soccer and 110,029 (95% CI = 95,349 – 124,709) in girls’ soccer during the study period. ACL injury rates were significantly higher in girls’ soccer (13.23 per 100,000 AEs) than boys’ soccer (4.35 per 100,000 AEs) (RR = 3.04, 95% CI = 2.35 – 3.98) and were significantly higher in competition compared to practice for both girls (RR = 14.77, 95% CI = 9.85 – 22.15) and boys (RR = 8.69, 95% CI = 5.01 – 15.08). A greater proportion of ACL injuries were due to player-player contact in boys (48.6%) compared to girls (30.1%) (IPR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.08 – 2.42). There was no statistical difference in the proportion of ACL injuries managed surgically in boys and girls (84% vs. 78%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS There are sex-based differences in mechanism of injury and ACL injury rate in high school soccer players. In addition, boys and girls showed higher rates of injury during competition. This study suggests several areas for targeted evidence-based ACL injury prevention strategies in US high school soccer players.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0005
Author(s):  
Mitchell J. Rauh ◽  
Laura C. Schmitt ◽  
Mark V. Paterno

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a major concern in interscholastic sports. Comparison of ACL injuries between high school (HS) and middle school (MS) athletes over multiple years is limited. Purpose: To examine the incidence of ACL injury in HS female [HS-F] and male [HS-M], and MS female [MS-F] and male [MS-M] sports over a 30-year period. Methods: We studied 55,147 athletes who competed in interscholastic sports at a secondary school from 1988 to 2018. Data included ACL injuries incurred during interscholastic sports, and clinically confirmed by a physician. Injury rates per 100,000 AEs (practice and games where the athlete was at risk of ACL injury) were calculated for gender, sport, and contact status. Incidence rate ratios [RR] and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare injury rates. Results: The incidence rate of ACL injury for HS athletes (4.15/100,000 AEs) was almost three times greater (RR=2.63, 95%CI: 1.7-4.2; p<0.0001) than the incidence rate for MS athletes (1.58/100,000 AEs). The risk of sustaining an ACL injury among HS-F athletes (4.26/100,000 AEs) was similar to HS-M athletes (4.06/100,000 AEs) (RR=1.05, 95%CI: 0.7-1.6; p=0.81). The risk of sustaining an ACL injury among MS-F athletes (1.06/100,000 AEs) was less than MS-M athletes (1.96/100,000 AEs) (RR=0.54, 95%CI: 0.2-1.4; p=0.21). While the risk of incurring an ACL injury occurrence was four times greater (RR=4.01, 95%CI: 1.7-9.4; p=0.0002) among HS-F athletes than MS-F athletes, the risk of ACL injury was twice as high (RR=2.08, 95%CI: 1.2-3.7; p=0.009) among HS-M athletes than MS-M athletes. ACL injuries were incurred in 15 HS sports and was greatest for HS-F basketball (25.5/100,000 AEs; p<0.001), HS-M football (20.6/100,000 AEs), and HS-F soccer (20.4/100,000 AEs). ACL injuries were sustained in 7 MS sports and was highest for MS-F softball (9.1/100,000 AEs), MS-M basketball (6.3/100,000 AEs) and MS-M football (5.0/100,000 AEs). The risk of contact-related ACL injury (1.73/100,000 AEs) was almost two times greater than non-contact-related ACL (0.96/100,000 AEs) (RR=1.80, 95%CI: 1.2-2.7; p<0.001). The rate of contact ACL injury was highest among HS-M (3.38/100,000 AEs) while the rate for noncontact ACL injury greatest among HS-F (2.44/100,000 AEs). Conclusions: The risk for ACL injury is higher in HS than in MS for both sexes. Non-contact ACL injuries were more likely to occur among HS-F athletes while contact injuries were highest for HS-M athletes, suggesting the effects of maturation and competition may play a role with increasing competition level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (16) ◽  
pp. 1003-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia M Montalvo ◽  
Daniel K Schneider ◽  
Laura Yut ◽  
Kate E Webster ◽  
Bruce Beynnon ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo estimate the incidence proportion (IP) and incidence rate (IR) for ACL injury in athletes.DesignSystematic review with meta-analysisData sourcesThe PubMed, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus electronic databases were searched from inception to 20 January 2017.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesStudies were included if they reported total number of participants/population by sex, total number of ACL injuries by sex and total person-time by sex.ResultsFifty-eight studies were included. The IP and IR of ACL injury in female athletes were 3.5% (1 out of every 29 athletes) and 1.5/10 000 athlete-exposures over a period of 1 season-25 years. The IP and IR of ACL injury in male athletes were 2.0% (1 out of every 50 athletes) and 0.9/10 000 athlete-exposures over a period of 1–25 years. Female athletes had a higher relative risk (RR) for ACL injury compared with males (RR=1.5; 95% CI 1.2 to 1.9; P<0.01) and a higher incidence rate ratio (IRR) of ACL injury compared with males over 1 season–25 years (IRR=1.7; 95% CI 1.4 to 2.2; P<0.010). When accounting for participation level, the disparity in the IR between female and male athletes was highest for amateur athletes compared with intermediate and elite athletes (IRR=2.1; 95% CI 1.3 to 3.4; P<0.01; I²=82%). Amateur female athletes remained at higher risk of ACL injury than did with amateur male athletes. In studies where follow-up length was <1 year, female athletes had a higher IR of ACL injury than did to males (IRR=1.7; 95% CI 1.3 to 2.2; P<0.01). Where follow-up was 1 year and beyond, there was no sex difference in the IR of ACL injury (IRR=2.1; 95% CI 0.9 to 4.8; P=0.06; I²=65%).Summary/conclusionsOne in 29 female athletes and 1 in 50 male athletes ruptured their ACL in a window that spanned from 1season to 25 years. The IR of ACL injury among female athletes in a season was 1.7 times higher than the IR of ACL injury among male athletes and the IP of ACL injury among female athletes was 1.5 times higher than the IP of ACL injury among male athletes. The reported sex disparity in ACL injury rates is independent of participation level and length of follow-up.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 472-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia M. Montalvo ◽  
Daniel K. Schneider ◽  
Kate E. Webster ◽  
Laura Yut ◽  
Marc T. Galloway ◽  
...  

Objective To evaluate sex differences in incidence rates (IRs) of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury by sport type (collision, contact, limited contact, and noncontact). Data Sources A systematic review was performed using the electronic databases PubMed (1969–January 20, 2017) and EBSCOhost (CINAHL, SPORTDiscus; 1969–January 20, 2017) and the search terms anterior cruciate ligament AND injury AND (incidence OR prevalence OR epidemiology). Study Selection Studies were included if they provided the number of ACL injuries and the number of athlete-exposures (AEs) by sex or enough information to allow the number of ACL injuries by sex to be calculated. Studies were excluded if they were analyses of previously reported data or were not written in English. Data Extraction Data on sport classification, number of ACL injuries by sex, person-time in AEs for each sex, year of publication, sport, sport type, and level of play were extracted for analysis. Data Synthesis We conducted IR and IR ratio (IRR) meta-analyses, weighted for study size and calculated. Female and male athletes had similar ACL injury IRs for the following sport types: collision (2.10/10 000 versus 1.12/10 000 AEs, IRR = 1.14, P = .63), limited contact (0.71/10 000 versus 0.29/10 000 AEs, IRR = 1.21, P = .77), and noncontact (0.36/10 000 versus 0.21/10 000 AEs, IRR = 1.49, P = .22) sports. For contact sports, female athletes had a greater risk of injury than male athletes did (1.88/10 000 versus 0.87/10 000 AEs, IRR = 3.00, P &lt; .001). Gymnastics and obstacle-course races were outliers with respect to IR, so we created a sport category of fixed-object, high-impact rotational landing (HIRL). For this sport type, female athletes had a greater risk of ACL injury than male athletes did (4.80/10 000 versus 1.75/10 000 AEs, IRR = 5.51, P &lt; .001), and the overall IRs of ACL injury were greater than all IRs in all other sport categories. Conclusions Fixed-object HIRL sports had the highest IRs of ACL injury for both sexes. Female athletes were at greater risk of ACL injury than male athletes in contact and fixed-object HIRL sports.


2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 648-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Shanley ◽  
Mitchell J. Rauh ◽  
Lori A. Michener ◽  
Todd S. Ellenbecker

Context: Participation in high school sports has grown 16.1% over the last decade, but few studies have compared the overall injury risks in girls' softball and boys' baseball. Objective: To examine the incidence of injury in high school softball and baseball players. Design: Cohort study. Setting: Greenville, South Carolina, high schools. Patients or Other Participants: Softball and baseball players (n = 247) from 11 high schools. Main Outcome Measure(s): Injury rates, locations, types; initial or subsequent injury; practice or game setting; positions played; seasonal trends. Results: The overall incidence injury rate was 4.5/1000 athlete-exposures (AEs), with more injuries overall in softball players (5.6/1000 AEs) than in baseball players (4.0/1000 AEs). Baseball players had a higher initial injury rate (75.9/1000 AEs) than softball players (66.4/1000 AEs): rate ratio (RR) = 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.4, 1.7. The initial injury rate was higher than the subsequent injury rate for the overall sample (P &lt; .0001) and for softball (P &lt; .0001) and baseball (P &lt; .001) players. For both sports, the injury rate during games (4.6/1000 AEs) was similar to that during practices (4.1/1000 AEs), RR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.7, 2.2. Softball players were more likely to be injured in a game than were baseball players (RR = 1.92, 95% CI = 0.8, 4.3). Most injuries (77%) were mild (3.5/1000 AEs). The upper extremity accounted for the highest proportion of injuries (63.3%). The incidence of injury for pitchers was 37.3% and for position players was 15.3%. The rate of injury was highest during the first month of the season (7.96/1000 AEs). Conclusions: The incidence of injury was low for both softball and baseball. Most injuries were minor and affected the upper extremity. The injury rates were highest in the first month of the season, so prevention strategies should be focused on minimizing injuries and monitoring players early in the season.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irfan M Asif ◽  
Emily Edwards ◽  
Kimberly Harmon

Musculoskeletal injuries in the female athlete are, for the most part, similar to those in the male athlete. However, there are differences in the incidence of these injuries and in the sports in which they tend to occur. Stress fractures are more common in the female athlete because of the higher prevalence of disordered eating and subsequent energy imbalance that leads to detrimental effects on bone. In addition, female athletes have a higher rate of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries than male athletes. Other musculoskeletal problems are also more common in females, such as multidirectional instability of the shoulder, adhesive capsulitis, and patellofemoral pain. Finally, as a function of greater participation by females in certain sports, such as dance and gymnastics, injuries specific to those sports are more common in females. This chapter addresses injuries that are seen commonly in the female athlete and reviews unique issues related to exercise and the female reproductive system. Figures depict the management of stress fractures, a stress fracture of the inferior pubic ramus, the tension aspect of the femoral neck, stress fractures of the rib, multidirectional shoulder instability, adhesive capsulitis, spondylolysis, proper squat landing technique, and the female athlete triad. A table outlines the recommended intake of both calcium and vitamin D for bone health at various ages.This chapter contains 9 figures, 1 table, 59 references, and 5 Board-styled MCQs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Pierpoint ◽  
Andrew E. Lincoln ◽  
Nina Walker ◽  
Shane V. Caswell ◽  
Dustin W. Currie ◽  
...  

ContextThe advent of Web-based sports injury surveillance via programs such as the High School Reporting Information Online system and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program has aided the acquisition of boys' and men's lacrosse injury data.ObjectiveTo describe the epidemiology of injuries sustained in high school boys' lacrosse in the 2008–2009 through 2013–2014 academic years and collegiate men's lacrosse in the 2004–2005 through 2013–2014 academic years using Web-based sports injury surveillance.DesignDescriptive epidemiology study.SettingOnline injury surveillance from lacrosse teams of high school boys (annual average = 55) and collegiate men (annual average = 14).Patients or Other ParticipantsBoys' and men's lacrosse players who participated in practices and competitions during the 2008–2009 through 2013–2014 academic years in high school or the 2004–2005 through 2013–2014 academic years in college.Main Outcome Measure(s)Athletic trainers collected time-loss (≥24 hours) injury and exposure data. Injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs), injury rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and injury proportions by body site and diagnosis were calculated.ResultsHigh School Reporting Information Online documented 1407 time-loss injuries during 662 960 AEs. The National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program documented 1882 time-loss injuries during 390 029 AEs. The total injury rate from 2008–2009 through 2013–2014 was higher in college than in high school (3.77 versus 2.12/1000 AEs; IRR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.63, 1.94). Most injuries occurred during competitions in high school (61.4%) and practices in college (61.4%). Injury rates were higher in competitions compared with practices in high school (IRR = 3.59; 95% CI = 3.23, 4.00) and college (IRR = 3.38; 95% CI = 3.08, 3.71). Lower limb injuries, muscle strains, and ligament sprains were common at both levels. Concussion was the most frequent competition diagnosis for all high school player positions.ConclusionsRates of time-loss injury were higher in college versus high school and in competitions versus practices. Attention to preventing common lower leg injuries and concussions, especially at the high school level, is essential to decrease their incidence and severity.


Author(s):  
Hsiu-Chen Lin ◽  
Weng-Hang Lai ◽  
Chia-Ming Chang ◽  
Horng-Chaung Hsu

Female athletes are more likely to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury than male athletes. Previous study has showed that female individuals had larger anterior knee laxity than their male counterparts [1]. Researchers have also reported that knee laxity and hyperextension knee were a possible factor contributing to ACL injury [2]. Loudon showed that a person with hyperextension knee, either healthy or ACL-injured, had poorer proprioceptive control. Even more, ACL-injured subjects with hyperextension knee demonstrated a declined function of proprioception feedback loop and the ability to initiate protective reflexes [3].


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