Each year, the number of female athlete participation grows but, unfortunately, with that growth in participants, there has been an increased number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. ACL injuries in female athletes are a problem for women, coaches and the sports medicine community. ACL injuries usually occur without contact from another person and most often occur while the athlete is participating in sports like soccer, basketball, or gymnastics. Over two-thirds of non contact injuries are a result of one-step/stop deceleration, cutting movements, sudden change in direction and landing from a jump with inadequate knee and hip flexion. Female athletes have four to ten times more ACL injuries than male athletes. There are some theories that include differences in anatomy, knee alignment, ligament laxity, muscle strength and conditioning on why there is a higher percentage of injured in women rather than men.

I personally, am a female soccer player and I have encountered so many girls with ACL tears. I have been in two games where a player tore her ACL and I have watched another girl tear her ACL. Many of these injuries result in surgery and about a year of recovery time before you are cleared to play again. Now that ACL tears have been frequently common, most coaches and athletic trainers focus on muscle strength in the knees to help prevent ACL injuries. I’ve seen girls ignore other knee injuries and continue to play which also can put pressure on your ACL and over time your ACL can tear under the pressure. Knowing and practicing healthy ways of preventing ACL tears will help you in the long run.

~Daniella