Why do female athletes tear their ACL?

When coming down from a jump, female athletes tend to land in a collapsing pattern, moving their knees inward and often not bending them enough. The combination of these factors makes an ACL tear more likely.

Are girls more likely to tear ACL on period?

Women and girls are at particularly high risk for ACL injuries, with rates 3 to 6 times greater than men, leading some to suggest a hormonal effect. Estradiol, progesterone, and relaxin are the predominant hormones that have been studied in the menstrual cycle relating to ACL laxity.

How many female athletes tear their ACL?

Each year, 20,000 to 80,000 female high school athletes sustain an ACL injury. While the potential to sprain, tear, or even rupture the ACL has always been a risk for those participating in high-intensity sports, female athletes are 5 times more likely to sustain a non-contact ACL injury than their male counterparts.

Why are females at higher risk for ACL tears?

Women also have much more estrogen than men. Essential to bone growth, this hormone fluctuates during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Estrogen may also cause greater laxity (looseness) in tendons and ligaments, which can make women more prone to injury.

Which gender has more knee problems?

When it comes to knee injuries women are more prone to them than men. Female athletes are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than their male counterparts to injure their anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL¹.

What sport has the most ACL injuries?

However, of the 9 sports studied, football had the largest number of ACL injuries and the highest competition-related ACL injury rate. Athletes were 7 times more likely to sustain ACL injuries in competition than in practice. Overall, 76.6% of all ACL injuries resulted in surgery.

Why do females have more ACL injuries than males?

Women generally have a wider pelvis, which means the thigh bones angle down more sharply than men and put more pressure on the inside of the knee. Women also have a narrower intercondylar notch (the groove the ACL travels through in the femur) and a smaller ACL, which can make them more prone to ACL injury.

Can you play sports with a torn ACL?

Playing sports with a torn ACL: Playing on a torn ACL can lead to recurrent episodes of knee instability that can interfere with ability to perform sports skills and sometimes result in further injury to the knee cartilage and meniscus.

What is the relationship of the Q angle and knee problems in females?

In women, the Q angle should be less than 22 degrees with the knee in extension and less than 9 degrees with the knee in 90 degrees of flexion. In men, the Q angle should be less than 18 degrees with the knee in extension and less than 8 degrees with the knee in 90 degrees of flexion.

Why do so many girls have knee problems?

Women tend to have a wider pelvis, which changes the alignment and mechanics of their lower bodies. Their knees are more likely to tilt inward while the ankles remain spaced apart. This puts more stress on the ACL, the crucial tissue that connects and stabilizes the thighbone to the shin at the knee joint.

Why are women’s knees different to men’s?

It’s in the Hips—The anatomical difference between men’s and women’s knees actually stems from the hip joints. Women tend to have wider hips than men and so the angle at which the thighbone connects the hip to the knee (called the Q-angle) is more pronounced in women than men.

Can football players come back from ACL tears?

Athletes who have torn their ACL used to be prime candidates for early retirement. Luckily, this injury is not the career-ender it used to be. NFL players who have torn their ACL can come back stronger than ever.