A study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that, compared with other female athletes, female soccer players are at higher risk of experiencing a second anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The researchers identified 180 female patients who underwent primary ACL reconstruction at a single institution, 90 of whom were soccer players and 90 of whom participated in non-soccer athletics. Following surgery, the patients were followed for an average of 68.8 months. The researchers analyzed their findings to determine risk factors for second ACL injury.
Here's what you need to know:
1. The soccer players experienced more second ACL injuries than non-soccer athletes, due to increased rates of both graft tear and contralateral ACL injury.
2. Eleven percent of soccer players experienced a second ACL injury resulting from a graft failure, compared to only 1 percent of other athletes.
3. Seventeen percent of soccer players experienced a second ACL injury resulting from a contralateral ACL tear, compared to only 4 percent of other athletes.
4. A significant risk factor for graft rupture — but not for contralateral ACL injury — was postoperative return to soccer. Thirty-four percent of patients who returned to soccer after surgery had a second ACL tear, compared to 28 percent of all soccer players in the study.
5. A second significant risk factor for graft rupture was older age.