Descriptions
Descriptions
Non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries represent a major problem in team sports such as handball and football. The incidence of non-contact ACL injuries is particularly high among female team sport athletes, who seem to have a 3-7 times greater risk of sustaining this injury compared to their male counterparts.
To prevent these injuries we need to understand the complexity of risk factors and injury mechanisms, and the objective in the present study is to increase our knowledge about risk factors for ACL-injuries. In this prospective cohort study, we will investigate if various biomechanical, neuromuscular and anatomical factors can predict the risk of sustaining a future ACL-rupture. By using a cross-sectional design, we also will explore the risk factors by comparing ACL-injured and non-injured players at baseline.
The results from this study will enable us to detect potential risk factors for females sustaining ACL-injuries, and may reveal important information on how to optimize the effect and duration of current preventive training programs.
Study design
All teams in the elite female football league (N=12 teams, approximately 220 players) have agreed to participate in this study. The teams will be tested at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in February and March 2009. Similar screening tests will be conducted for new teams and players each season for the following two seasons (2009-2001). The plan is to re-test all the football players in 2011.
After the baseline testing, ACL-injuries will be recorded for all team activities throughout the 2012 season. In addition, we will record all injuries sustained by the football players from the 12 elite teams throughout the 2009 season to help us describing the injury patterns among elite female football players.
Tests
The test stations include a 3D motion analysis to calculate net hip, knee and ankle joint kinetics and kinematics in drop-jumps and cutting movements.
In addition, following tests will be conducted; measures of lower extremity muscle strength and power, hamstrings flexibility, joint laxity, balance and neuromuscular control, and anatomical measurements. Genetic factors will be tested by extracting five ml venous blood. The players will also complete a questionnaire to evaluate their knee function (KOOS), history of back pain, and to capture psychological variables such as motivational climate and life stressors (PMSQ and LESCA).