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ACL damage in women

ACL damage in women Are Females More Susceptible to Tears? Tearing the ACL is now considered an epidemic in the United States over 100,000 recorded incidences are reported each year (Moeller). While such a finding may be good for orthopedic doctors and surgeons, this is not good for millions of athletes’ competing these days in high intensity sports. This is especially a problem for female athletes who are two to four times more likely to tear their ACL than men (Moeller). This is one of the biggest mysteries about ACL tears is the difference between the number of injuries seen in women and men. Women tend to tear there ACL far more frequently then men. While not everyone agrees that gender itself is the source of the problem, evidence is growing that females are learning too late that participating in sports can also become the first step to ruining an active lifestyle. In spite of this the rate of ACL injury is almost equal through all levels of sports, from beginner, to recreational, to professional athletes. The most widely publicized incident of ACL damage has come from Theresa Edwards who was a top female athlete. She was a basketball player who went to the limit with sports. She went beyond her capability and her ligament couldn’t withstand the pressure and snapped. She is not the only but just one example of many who have suffered this same problem. As female athletes continue to become more competitive and aggressive, ACL damage continues to rise. In order for athletes to save their active lifestyles they need understand the ACL. The ACL is the most important ligament in the knee because it provides stability to the knee. Athletes have to be aware of the importance of the ACL and know its functions in order to preserve the ligament. The ACL otherwise know as the anterior cruciate ligament is the ligament in the knee that connects the upper leg bone which is the femur to the lower leg bone which is the tibia. The anterior cruciate ligament crosses with the posterior cruciate ligament inside the center of the knee joint to stabilize to the knee in movement. Injuries with the anterior cruciate ligament usually occur then the knee is pushed beyond its limits. A surprisingly discovery is that most tears occur without contact Non contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries are believed to be two to six times more common in women than men. Most ACL damage is common in female athletes who play soccer, basketball or volleyball because it requires stop in go movements. Injuries without contact occur when the foot is planted firmly on the ground, and a sudden force is applied while the foot is still straight. While some ACL injuries are caused by contact, most injuries occur without contact. When this happen it tends to damage other parts of the knee as well. The main parts damaged are the cartilage and meniscus when the ACL is damaged in the non-contact form. Women are more prone to ACL damage than their male counterparts. There is not just one factor causing the increase of ACL injuries in women, it seems to be a multiple of factors including both intrinsic and extrinsic factor. The intrinsic factors are those specific to the female gender. It includes the ligament laxity, ligament size, hormonal influences, and intercondylar notch size. The intercondylar notch is a groove in the bone where the ACL travels through as it attaches to the base of the femur. This notch is where the anterior curciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament run. Athletes with small intercondylar notch dimensions are at greater risk of ACL injury. Females have a “A-shape” while men have a “U-shape”. Intrinsic factors originate in the knee joint and are related to its anatomy. Fore instance women typically have a wider pelvis size, which makes the thigh bones come down at a greater angle as it sits on the tibia which make it easier to tear the ACL. The wider the hips angle the more pressure that is put through the middle part of the knee where the ACL is located. The hormone estrogen affects the strength of the ligament making the ACL susceptible to tears because of its weakness. Since women are smaller than men they carry less overall muscle weight and possess shorter muscle bellies. Women tend to have lower muscle to body fat ratios than men. Without those extra muscles it makes it easy to go beyond ones limits and injure oneself. The reason that women have fewer muscles is because they only have one tenth of the testosterone of men. The testosterone is a hormone used to build muscles without it the body does not produce muscles. A study done by the University of Michigan found that women tend to rely more on their quadriceps, which is the muscle in the front of the thigh while men use their hamstrings, which are the muscles on the back of the thigh in stopping forward movement. Even though women are competing at the same intensity of men. Their bodies are not handling the wear and tear. However intrinsic factors are not the only factors that contribute to ACL damage, extrinsic factors play a major role as well. The extrinsic factors contribute to ACL injury through the problems that originate outside the knee joint. The extrinsic factors include: specific movements performed during sporting activity, muscle imbalances, playing surface and the use of brace. The extrinsic factors also include: athlete conditioning, strength, experience, muscle recruitment patterns and learned motor skills. There has been an increase in women who sustain an ACL tear. One reason for the increase in injuries is that more females are participating in sports with more intensity. Some are less exposed to the activity, which makes it harder for them to make complex movements. Also the level of skill has contributed to the increase in ACL tears because the players are playing with athletes of the same age but different skill level. Many females learn as they go without specific instruction in focusing on specific strength deficiencies. Many girls enter sports at the high school level, having never before participated seriously in sports. Then if they are not in condition they end up injuring themselves seriously. Bibliography: “Kid’s TV gone too far.” 13 August 1998.

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