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A League Message Regarding Knee Injuries

Information for Clubs, Coaches, Teams, Players, and Parents

 Knee injuries -- and in particular ACL tears -- occur far more frequently among female athletes than male athletes.  Some studies have shown that female athletes are 3, 5, or as much as 10 times more likely to suffer knee injuries than are their male counterparts.  Steve Parker of Novacare estimates that 80% of his ACL patients are female.  Cutting sports such as Basketball and Soccer account for the majority of knee injuries among female athletes.  And among girls, most knee injuries are not contact related -- they often occur when a player plants her foot and cuts, and are not a result of trauma due to collision with another player.

While any knee injury can be serious, ACL injuries are particularly devastating to both individual players and their teams due to the relatively long treatment and recovery period.  An injured player may be out of action for 6 months or more, and may not return to full competitive form for as long as 8-12 months after surgery.  It is not uncommon for a single team to lose several players to knee injuries during a single soccer year (!), particularly in the age groups (U-14 to U-19) with high school players. 

Several specific exercise programs have been developed to help female athletes reduce the risk of knee injuries.  Research studies have shown a significant reduction in the frequency of knee injuries among athletes who are involved in knee-specific exercise programs.  We strongly encourage parents to ask their children's physicians, coaches, and trainers to suggest appropriate exercise programs to help reduce the risk of knee injury. 

Given the relative frequency and severity of injury, we suggest that clubs, coaches, teams, players, and parents be well informed about the nature and causes of knee injuries.  Further, we suggest that players consider incorporating exercises specifically designed to reduce the risk of knee injury into their regular routines.  We have assembled the internet links below to provide information which may help you begin your research (Please note, we're not doctors and we do not represent the information found at these links to be a guide for treatment and cannot vouch for their accuracy.  We suggest you use them only for background information, and that you consult with your doctor for treatment advice.)

We wish you all good luck, good health, and safe play!

Sincerely,

Lake Highlands Girls Classic League

Here are some links to ACL injuries in female athletes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/29/sports/29KNEE.html (Requires free registration)

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?thread_id=85&topcategory=sports

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1999/10_01_99/news.htm

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2000/04_00/boden.htm

Knee injury prevention:

http://www.aclprevent.com/ (PEP program)

http://www.cincinnatisportsmed.com/sportsmetrics.htm

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?thread_id=158&topcategory=knee

General knee information:

http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/html/links.html

We welcome your feedback -- If you think we've missed something important or if you are a medical professional and wish to comment upon the information presented, please contact Steve Myers at mailto:steve.myers@alum.mit.edu.

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