Topic > Factors That Could Cause Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Several studies suggest that there is a relationship between women and an increased risk of knee injuries compared to their male counterparts. One of the most common injuries that studies seem to focus their attention on are anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Women appear to be more susceptible than men to these anterior cruciate ligament injuries due to hormonal differences, structural differences, muscle differences, and mechanical differences (Hirst, Armeau & Parish, 2007). Large Q angles and genu recurvatum are more common in women than in men (Devan et. al., 2004). These structural and biomechanical differences could create additional stress on the knee that could lead to an overuse knee injury in women (Devan et. al., 2004). It has been hypothesized that the reason for a larger Q angle found in women is because they have a wider pelvis which gives them a more lateral proximal gap point than men (Veeramani et. al., 2010). They go on to state that even if women had a wider pelvis at the ASIS, the effect would be minimal because the distance between the ASIS and the patella is quite large (Veeramani et. al., 2010). Factors that could cause Anterior cruciate ligament injuries/damage can be classified into both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors. Extrinsic factors may include shoe-surface interface, body movement in sport, level of skill coordination, muscle strength, and muscle coordination (Arendt & Dick, 1995). Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the female population often occur during routine non-contact activities, such as landing while rebounding a basketball (Rozzi, Lephart & Fu, 1999). Intrinsic factors may include limb alignment, joint laxity, and ligament size (Arendt & Dick, 1995). Proprioceptive deficits causing motor… center of paper…, AI and CA were determined after taking impressions of our feet by entering the water with one foot and then placing that foot on a clean sheet of paper. Before the water dried on the paper, we were asked to outline the footprint. Measurements were then taken on the paper and it was possible to calculate CSI, AI and CA. BMI can be calculated using subjects' height and weight. The Beighton score, which is a modification of the Carter and Wilkinson scoring system, was used to determine the ligament laxity score. One point was awarded for completing each of the five tests. If the subject failed to complete the test, zero points were awarded. A score of two or less means the body ligament is normal. A score of three to four means that ligament laxity may be present. A score of five or more indicates significant ligament laxity (Wilkinson, 1964).