Prior history of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is associated with a greater risk of subsequent ACL injury in female collegiate athletes

Sports Injuries in Female and Non-Binary Athletes: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The main purpose of this review was to summarize the current evidence on treatment and outcomes of sports injuries requiring surgical intervention in female and non-binary athletes and identify key gaps in the related literature concerning sports injuries requiring surgical intervention to guide future research.

RECENT FINDINGS

Of the 59 included studies, all focused on biological sex or sex-based differences, while none of the studies discussed gender or the inclusion of non-binary and transgender individuals. Most of the studies (47/59, 80%) focused on ACL reconstruction (37%), hip arthroscopy (27%) or rotator cuff repair (15%). Important sex-based differences were seen with these injuries including differences in fears regarding recovery after ACL injury and pre- and post-operative pain scores following rotator cuff injury. Despite increasing recognition of the role of biologic sex in the treatment and outcomes of sports injuries, very little is known about the impact of gender in sports injuries. Previous sociological literature suggests that gender may play an important role in one's athletic experience, and thus their injury experience. With most of the included studies focused on only three injury types, the experiences of female and non-binary athletes with all other sports injuries are poorly characterized. The lack of gender-inclusive sports injuries research means that the complete experiences of female, non-binary and transgender athletes are not comprehensively captured in the current literature. Future research should aim to characterize the effect of gender on the treatment and outcomes on all sport-related injuries, with the goal of providing inclusive surgical care for all athletes.

A Systematic Video Analysis of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Professional Female Basketball Players

BACKGROUND

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in female basketball players, who have a 2 to 3 times higher risk for an ACL injury than their male counterparts. Improving our understanding of the situations and biomechanics that result in an ACL injury in basketball players may support the design of more effective programs to mitigate the injury risk.

PURPOSE

To describe the injury mechanisms, situational patterns, and biomechanics of ACL injuries during matches in professional female basketball players.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

METHODS

A total of 105 ACL injuries in professional female European basketball leagues from the 2018 to 2023 seasons were identified. There were 41 (39%) injury videos analyzed for injury mechanisms and situational patterns, while biomechanical analysis was possible in 33 cases. There were 3 independent reviewers who rated each video. Data according to player position, phase of the match, and location on the court were also evaluated (n = 41). Analysis regarding neurocognitive perturbation was assessed in 41 cases (100%).

RESULTS

Most injuries (n = 28 [68%]) occurred during offensive possession. Indirect contact injuries were more prevalent (n = 23 [56%]) than noncontact injuries (n = 18 [44%]). Overall, 3 main situational patterns constituted 95% of injuries: offensive cut (n = 20 [49%]), defensive cut (n = 12 [29%]), and landing from a jump (n = 7 [17%]). Injuries involving a knee-dominant pattern with valgus were identified in 64% of cases. Injuries were evenly distributed between the first (53%) and second (47%) halves of a game. Half (50%) occurred within the first 10 minutes of effective playing time, and the most frequent months of injury were October and November (44%; early season). Nearly half (46%) of the injuries occurred in small forwards, with 59% of injuries occurring in zone 5. Neurocognitive errors were seen in 56% of injuries, while 92% of defensive injuries showed signs of neurocognitive errors.

CONCLUSION

ACL injuries in professional female basketball players were caused by indirect contact or noncontact, involving offensive and defensive cuts as well as landing from a jump. Biomechanical analysis confirmed a multiplanar mechanism with a knee-dominant pattern and valgus. Most injuries occurred early in the season and within the first 20 effective minutes played (89%), making accumulated fatigue an unlikely risk factor for ACL injuries in basketball players.

Return to play and athletic performance in division I female volleyball players following anterior cruciate ligament injury

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to examine NCAA Division I volleyball players' return to play rates and performance statistics compared to pre-injury levels following ACL injury.

METHODS

Female volleyball players that sustained ACL injuries from 2008 to 2020 and competed in one of seven collegiate conferences (n = 99) were identified via an internet search algorithm. Players were categorized by position, academic year, and playing time pre- and post-injury. Post-injury performance statistics were gathered for a subset of outside hitters and middle blockers that played in ≥35 sets in a single season for up to 3 years following injury (mean 1.7 seasons). A control group (n = 512) was generated for demographic and statistical comparison. Mean pre-injury and post-injury statistics were compared for players that did not change positions and played ≥35 sets before and after injury.

RESULTS

Volleyball attackers were 54.7% of the control population but sustained 78.8% of identified injuries. Following ACL injury, 6.1% of players registered no in-game statistics, 16.2% played in <35 sets, 65.7% played in ≥35 sets, and 12.1% graduated. Mean performance statistics increased linearly the more years players were from ACL injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Female collegiate volleyball players return to play following ACL injury at high rates (93.1%) and maintain pre-injury performance levels. Volleyball attackers sustain ACL injuries more commonly than setters and libero/defensive specialists.

Epidemiology of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears in National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes: 2014/2015-2018/2019

PURPOSE

This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of ACL tears in NCAA men's and women's sports.

METHODS

Injury and exposure data collected within the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program from 2014/2015 to 2018/2019 were analyzed. ACL tear frequencies, injury rates (IR), and injury proportions were used to describe injury incidence by sport, event type, injury mechanism, and injury history. Injury rate ratios (IRR) were used to examine differential injury rates, and injury proportion ratios (IPR) were used to examine differential distributions.

RESULTS

A total of 729 ACL tears were reported from 8,474,401 recorded athlete exposures (AE) during the study period (IR = 0.86 per 10,000 AE), and the competition-related ACL tear rate was higher than the practice-related rate (IRR = 5.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.75-6.39). Among men's sports, the highest overall ACL tear rate was observed in men's football (IR = 1.44 per 10,000 AE), whereas among women's sports, the highest overall rate was observed in women's soccer (IR = 2.60 per 10,000 AE). Among sex-comparable sports, ACL tear rates were higher in women's basketball, softball, and soccer, as compared with their men's counterparts. ACL tears were more prevalently attributed to player contact mechanisms in men's sports than women's sports (IPR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.37-2.19), but more prevalently attributed to noncontact mechanisms in women's sports than men's sports (IPR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.01-1.35).

CONCLUSIONS

ACL tear risk in women's sports continues to warrant attention and prevention efforts. Given the differential rates by event type, future research efforts may also evaluate initiatives to reduce competition-related injury burden in NCAA sports.

Clinical Outcomes After ACL Reconstruction in Soccer (Football, Futbol) Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

CONTEXT

The risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear for athletes participating in pivoting sports includes young age and female sex. A previous meta-analysis has reported a reinjury rate of 15% after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) for athletes across all sports. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of available literature reporting outcomes after ACLR in soccer players.

OBJECTIVE

To review and aggregate soccer-specific outcomes data after ACLR found in current literature to help guide a more tailored discussion regarding expectations and prognosis for soccer players seeking operative management of ACL injuries.

DATA SOURCES

A comprehensive search of publications was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and SPORTDiscus databases.

STUDY SELECTION

Inclusion criteria consisted of original studies, level of evidence 1 to 4, studies reporting clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after primary ACLR in soccer players at all follow-up length.

STUDY DESIGN

The primary outcomes of interest were graft failure/reoperation rates, ACL injury in contralateral knee, return to soccer time, and PROs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 4.

DATA EXTRACTION

Search of literature yielded 32 studies for inclusion that involved 3112 soccer players after ACLR.

RESULTS

The overall graft failure/reoperation rate ranged between 3.0% and 24.8% (mean follow-up range, 2.3-10 years) and the combined ACL graft failure and contralateral ACL injury rate after initial ACLR was 1.0% to 16.7% (mean follow-up range, 3-10 years); a subgroup analysis for female and male players revealed a secondary ACL injury incidence rate of 27%, 95% CI (22%, 32%) and 10%, 95% CI (6%, 15%), respectively. Soccer players were able to return to play between 6.1 and 11.1 months and the majority of PROs showed favorable scores at medium-term follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Soccer players experience high ACL injury rates after primary ACLR and demonstrated similar reinjury rates as found in previous literature of athletes who participate in high-demand pivoting sports.

Screening Tests for Assessing Athletes at Risk of ACL Injury or Reinjury-A Scoping Review

Various tests are available to assess athletes for factors associated with their susceptibility and risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury or reinjury; however, it is unclear which tests are clinically meaningful and what should be considered when using them. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to screen and summarize testing and to derive evidence-based recommendations for clinicians, practitioners and future research. Five databases were searched to identify studies addressing musculoskeletal morphology or functional-performance-related screening tests with a clear conceptual link or an evidence-based relationship to ACL (re)injury. A quality rating was carried out using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Study-Quality Assessment Tool. Six different categories of common screening tests were identified: balance and postural control, gait- and running-related tests, joint laxity, joint morphology and anthropometrics, jump tests and strength tests. Predicting future injury in a complex, dynamic system based on a single screening test is methodologically challenging, which is also reflected in the highly controversial findings in the literature regarding potential associations between specific screening tests and the occurrence of ACL injuries and reinjuries. Nonetheless, various screening tests can provide clinically relevant information on ACL-(re)injury-related factors and help to provide tailored preventive measures. A selection of corresponding evidence-based recommendations is derived and presented in this scoping review.