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Acl tears in women athletes essay
ACL Injuries in Athletes Essays
ACL Injuries in Athletes Essays
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Females Are More Susceptible to ACL 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.
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.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most important of your four major knee ligaments. The function of the ACL is to provide stability to the knee and minimize stress across the knee joint. It restrains excessive forward movement of the lower leg bone (the tibia) in relation to the thigh bone (the femur). It also limits rotational movements of the knee. “Greater external knee valgus and internal rotation moments have been shown to increase loading on the ACL in vitro and are thought to be associated with the increased risk of noncontact ACL injury” (Effects 2011). A tear to the anterior cruciate ligament results from overstretching of this ligament within the knee. It’s usually due to a sudden stop and twisting motion of the knee, or a “...
The most common knee injury in sports is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) through tears or sprains. “They occur in high demand sports that involve planting and cutting, jumping with a poor landing, and stopping immediately or changing directions” (University of Colorado Hospital). The ACL is a ligament that runs diagonally in the middle of the knee and found at the front of the patellar bone. Its function involves controlling the back and forth motion of the knee, preventing the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, and providing rational stability to the knee. Interestingly, women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. The occurrence is four to six times greater in female athletes.
The athlete plays softball, and she plays short stop. She is eighteen years old. She has had no previous injuries. The injury that she sustained was an ACL tear, and she tore both the medial and lateral meniscus. She was injured while playing in a softball tournament. She was running to first base after bunting the ball, and the second baseman that was coving first base was trying to find the base. The second baseman was actually all the way over the safety base, and when the athlete went to touch the base, she hit the second baseman’s leg in full stride. She felt a pop in her knee, and she immediately was on the ground. She said that she didn’t have much pain; she just had a lot of instability in her knee. The athletic
ACL Injuries in Athletes The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) attaches the femur, which is the thighbone, and the tibia, which is the shin, together (northstar). A torn ACL is one of the most excruciating experiences in an athlete’s life. It is the first thing that comes to mind when they hurt their knee on the field; for many it is their greatest fear. A torn ACL can sometimes mean the end of an athlete’s career.
Sports Medicine is a medical field that specializes with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. It was introduced around the early Greek and Roman era when the first modern Olympic Games took place. The Greek felt they could do something to help heal and prevent injuries that the athletes were receiving. Now in sports medicine, certain injuries can only be assessed and treated by specific physicians. These physicians can include physical therapists, athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches. Although sports physicians are most commonly seen by athletes after they are hurt so they can be treated, there are some physicians that are seen before an injury occurs so that they can learn how to prevent injuries.
The meniscus is one of the most commonly injured structures in the knee. Meniscal injuries can occur in any age group, but causes are somewhat different for each age group. In younger people, the meniscus is fairly tough and rubbery, and tears usually occur as a result of a fairly forceful twisting injury. In the younger age group, meniscal tears are more likely to be caused by athletic activity (Sutton, 1999).
Finally, Basketball and Volleyball are two very popular sports and they are played by both genders. They both have followers and fans, but one of them has a greater amount of fans than the other one. There are many similarities in these sports such as the audience, followers and fans, and that both sports are played by boys/men and girls/women. Despite of having these similarities, they also have differences that distinguish them from each other, too. Basketball is a recognized sport from around the world and its popularity has been growing over the years compared to Volleyball, that is not very popular and it is not a game that people would choose to play with others. In addition to this difference, the physical contact in these sports is important, too.
With the implementation of Title IX of the Education Amendment in 1972, and more recently a wide spread acceptance of females in the athletic world, the number of females competing in various sports has increased significantly at all competitive levels. Since 2004, the number of female athletes competing in Division 1 intercollegiate sports has increased by 13.6% (4). The number and value of grants and scholarships being given to these female athletes and their respective teams has also seen an increase of 61.4% (4). With this positive increase in the amount of females competing in sport, not only at the college level but at the high school and youth level, there has also been a positive increase in the amount of injuries sustained by female athletes. Of these numerous injuries the most prominent and seemingly the most serious is tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament, more commonly called the ACL. While not being a remedy to the problem entirely, the implementation of various prevention programs has been suggested to be paramount in helping to lessen the occurrence of ACL tears in female athletes.
Combination of hyper extension and twisting injuries in ACL injury especially in the sports happened when the foot is planted and player suddenly turn and change direction or landing from a jump in the valgus position, collapse in slight flexion combined with rotation or hyper extension and rotation. This injury is coming from the rotational force mechanism with compressive force type like the weight bearing. In this type results are more meniscal injury and osteochondral fractures. The risk of rupturing the ACL is different between the sexes, anatomical factors and neuromuscular properties as well as females have greater knee laxity compared with men8-9.
A 16 year old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but also 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 acquire 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 on female ACL ruptures have been increased for the past ten year. Over 1.4 million women have been suffered from the ACL rupture which is twice the rate of the previous decade. Therefore, female ACL injuries are now a growing problem in the nation (Anonymous, 2004). Back in 1950s and 1960s, female participation in sports was rare; therefore, the rate of injuries was very low. However, according to “ACL Injuries and Female Athletes” (n.d), as Title IX was implemented in 1972, female participation in numerous sports has dramatically increased. Moreover, the rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL also has dramatically increased (Anonymous, n.d). In terms of comparing the rate of acquiring ACL injuries between two genders, females have higher rate than males do. According to the “Physical Therapy Corner” (2007), “women suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries more often than men, nearly 4 times as often in basketball, 3 times as often in gymnastics, and nearly 2 and a half times as often in soccer” (Knee Injuries section, para.1). There are various risk factors that contribute to the high rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL for female athletes. External factors such as improper sh...
A meniscal tear is one of the most common cartilage injuries of the knee. It is painful and debilitating. The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that provides a cushion between the femur and tibia. Each knee has two menisci in the knee joints (inner or medial meniscus and outer or lateral meniscus). The menisci can be damaged or torn by traumatic force most often happening during sports (Magee, Thomas H., and Gary W. Hinson, 1998). It can happen when someone twists the upper part of their leg while their foot and lower leg stays locked in another position. The injury can range from a minor tear in which the meniscus stays intact to a major split in the meniscus. The injury can happen to anyone, not just athletes. In older people, the meniscus
The year 1997 and soccer players were selected from the data set for further analysis for both males and females. I believe that there is no relationship between gender identity and concussion occurrence due to the nature of the sport. Soccer is known to be a less physical sport, making the occurrence of a concussion less likely for soccer players.
This literature review is to examine just how females are more susceptible to knee injuries, especially having to do with the anterior cruciate ligament. Knee injuries are always prevalent in injuries. Through studies and research, it has been discovered that these types of knee injuries occur more frequently in females, especially an anterior cruciate ligament injury. In order to understand some of the biological reasons as to why the ACL is more commonly injured in females, one must take an in-depth look at the knee anatomy.
In the back of your mind you know something is terribly wrong, you try to push that aside and endure the pain. Failing to get better, sectionals is heart breaking, knowing your relay team can’t compete because of you. Over three weeks you’ve visited the doctors more than you have your entire life. Each doctor claims they know what is wrong, but all agree that you haven't torn your ACL. A month later, walking to the MRI room your knee gives out like an old building slowly crumbling. Your heart drops when your doctor says you tore your ACL. The sooner you have surgery the sooner seven month recovery can start. During surgery they find a tear in the meniscus. Another