Ankle ligament injuries were reported as the most common injury for college athletes in the United States. Ankle sprains are most common in sports such as basketball, soccer, volleyball, and distance running sports. The author of Understanding acute ankle ligamentous sprain injury in sports summarized the current understanding of the most common type of sport-related trauma; acute ankle sprain injury. The author first presents ankle anatomy in order for the reader to understand the movement of the ankle and all of the ligaments which assist the movement of the joint, then, explains how most injuries occur, and finally shows results of experiments conducted over the years and how doctors, physicians and athletes can learn to prevent these sorts
The incidence and prevalence rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes continues to increase over time (Prodromos, Han, Rogowski, Joyce, & Shi, 2007). With the growing rate in the amount of young women participating in sports, data has shown that the rate of ACL injury increases linearly with this participation ("The Relationship Between Static Posture and ACL Injury in Female Athletes," 1996). This epidemic of ACL injuries in female athletes, young or old, continues to be problematic in the athletic world. This problem not only affects the athlete themselves, but also the coaches and the sports medicine community.
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.
Surve, I., Schwellnus, M.P., Noakes, T. and Lombard, C. (1994). A ®vefold reduction in the incidence of recurrent ankle sprains in soccer players using the sport-stirrup orthosis. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 22, 601±606.
Ankle injuries rank as the most common injury in athletics today, and compared to men, women basketball players are 25 % to 60% more susceptible to spraining their ankles. The article began by hypothesizing that this rate is so high in women, because ankle-strength is due to an inversion-eversion muscle strength ratio that is associated with ankle injuries. And past experiments have proven that women, on average, have less muscle strength at the ankle than men. It was stated that this experiment was conducted for three reasons; “ Nonweight bearing studies tend to underestimate inversion and eversion strengths, no studies of inversion or eversion strengths have been reported in women’s ankles bearing full body weight, and there are no sex comparisons of inversion and eversion strength in the ankle.” Also, they wanted to see if there was a relation between ankle strength and shoe type. The experimenters tested the strength in the degree of the inward and outward motion of the ankle, and if shoe height would affect ankle strength development. They took twenty young women that were relatively the same height and weight and normally wore a size 8 shoe. The women were then scaled from 0 to10, based on self-reported habitual physical activity. Zero denoted inactivity and ten denoted sports at the Division I collegiate level. The data shows that the women’s active range was measured with a goniometer. Their ankle strength in dorsiflexion-plantarflexion and inversion-eversion was tested by using an isokenetic dyanometer, and other strength tests. The results showed that both shoe height and ankle plantar flexion did not affect eversion movement development. Which meant that eversion strength was not affected by shoe type. This data was then compared to another experiment that used the same methods but was tested on males and found that there are no significant sex differences, and found that in young healthy adults that ankle strength is proportional to body size.
Injuries specifically to the distal tibiofibular ligaments are most often incomplete and occur in association with other injuries. Depending on the mechanisms and forces involved, the anterior tibiofibular ligament can become sprained or even avulsed with a small fragment of bone from the tibia or fibula. Continued application of forces to the ankle, especially an external rotation force, can rupture the tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane and possibly cause an oblique or spiral fracture to the fibula.
“Doc, I fell and twisted my knee. I heard a pop. It hurt briefly. When I stood up, the knee felt as if it was not underneath me, and the knee gave way. It swelled up by the next day and ever since feels as though it would pop out when I twist or even cross the street quickly.” In almost all cases the above complaints occur due to an injury to the ACL (Anterior Crucial Ligament) of the knee. The ACL is a very important ligament in the knee that controls the pivoting motion of the knee. This joint guides the femur and tibia through a regular range of motion. It is the most common and serious of injury sustained to the knee (Duffy, f9). How this injury happens, who is most susceptible, and how it is treated are a few questions athletes are becoming heavily concerned with.
When an athlete catches the sound of their knee crack and pop, they better prepare themselves for a long journey. The Center for Injury and Policy (CIRP), from Science Daily, reports that, “Knees are the most accident prone part of the body in high school athletes.” Knee injuries are very common; in fact, they are responsible for 45% of the injuries that occur in high school athletics across America. Knee injuries are well known to not just those in the medical field, but also to athletes. Injuries to the knee are caused by many factors, and what happens after the injury has taken place is what’s most concerning (Science Daily).
A 16-year-old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but several of her teammates have torn the same ligament as well during the soccer season. Lephart (2002) found that women involved in physical activity are more susceptible to acquiring the ACL injuries than men who are involved in the same physical activity (as cited in Ogden, 2002). According to “ACL Injury Prevention” (2004), the numbers of female ACL ruptures have increased for the past ten years. Over 1.4 million women have suffered from the ACL rupture, which is twice the rate of the previous decade.
In the world of athletics there are numerous injuries an athlete may face in their participation in athletic activities. Injuries can hinder an athlete’s participation in practices or games. For example, there are sprained ankles, pulled hamstrings, broken backs, concussions, and foot injuries can prevent an athlete from competing. While all of these injuries and the areas they are located in can greatly affect an athlete’s ability to participate in athletic activity, there is one area of the body that stand out greater than the rest. This area is an injury to the knee. Knee injuries are devastating to an athlete’s participation. Some knee injuries depending on the severity of the injury, can keep an athlete out of participation from their
Not all gender differences in lower extremities motion patterns are necessarily risk factors of non-contact ACL injury. No gender differences were found in the risk factors of non-contact ACL in the stop-jump task (Lin, Liu, Gros, Weinhold, Garrett, & Yu, 2012). ACL injuries accounted for 20.5% of all knee injuries in this study. Athletes were seven times more likely to sustain ACL injuries in competition than practice (Joseph, Collins, Henke, Yard, Fields, Comstock, 2013). Among basketball players, females are at two to seven times greater risk (Zacharias, 2013). In Texas high school football and boys’ and girls’ basketball, knee injuries were more common in basketball with a 2.1 greater risk of injury per hour of exposure in females (Ireland, 1999). For the purpose of this study, ACL will refer to an injury of one of the ligaments in the knee. Pivoting and cutting are the motions that are major causes of ACL injuries. A high school athlete is a person who plays sports for at least three times a week for a total of six hours per week. Non-contact is when an injury occurs without any physical contact. Contact is when the injury is caused by another person. If girls’ basketball has a lot of pivoting and cutting then it will have the most ACL
ACL injury is quite prevalent in the United States. About every 1 in 3,000 people suffer from an ACL injury in their lifetime, and approximately 95,000 new incidences of ACL injury occur each year. The largest amount of these injuries occurs during sports which involve twisting, cutting, jumping and deceleration. The mechanisms that can cause an ACL injury are excessive valgus (outside of knee) stress, forced hyperextension, or forced external rotation of the femur on the a fixed tibia (Evans, 2001). Many associate the tearing of the ACL with a large impact or collision, however 80% of all ACL injuries are non-contact injuries. This statistic shows that ACL injuries are mostly caused by the individual themselves as opposed to an opponent or other person. The exact mechanism of noncontact ACL tears consists of poor knee positioning (e.g. landing with an extended knee) and a strong, unopposed quad contraction (Murray, 2013).
Ankle sprains and knee sprains are notably common basketball-related injuries that require attention. Ankle sprains typically occur when a player lands on an unexpected object such as another player's foot, while knee injuries often occur due to collisions such as with another player's
Prevailing sports injuries include ankle sprains, shin splints, ACL tearing, concussions, and groin pulls. Ankle sprains occur when ligaments, which are strong and stretchy bands of tissue, tear or stretch too far. They may be identified by symptoms such as swelling of the ankle, bruising, or weakness of the ankle. Shin splints commonly appear in runners and are classified by lower leg-bone pain. Treatments can include rest, icing, and the gradual increase of running time or distance. Quick movements such as cutting, pivoting, and directional changes may cause ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears. Since the ACL is one of the major stabilizing ligaments of the knee, symptoms consist of
Many athletes are injured while playing sports. “More than half of America's children play sports, and thousands end up in the Emergency Room each year” (“Stop Sports Injuries”). This problem ruins the fun for hundreds of children across the world, but it can be stopped with education, proper rules, and the right foods.
Take Home message: 95% of ankle sprains involve lateral aspect of ankle. Majority improve with non surgical measures. Physiotherapy is useful and should be considered for severe ankle sprain. If symptoms do not settle after 3 months MRI scan / referral to secondary care is