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ACL Injuries in the Female Athlete

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The Young Female Athlete

Part of the book series: Contemporary Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine ((PASM))

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Abstract

Injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament are the most common ligament injuries in the knee joint that require surgery for treatment. Their incidence is particularly high in adolescent female athletes that are involved in sports including soccer and basketball. As muscular imbalances at this particular age are likely contributors to the increased risk of injury in this group, specific exercise regimens can be actively pursued by the adolescent female athlete to prevent ACL injury from occurring. ACL injuries have potential immediate and long-term consequences, including surgery and lengthy rehabilitation as well as the development of osteoarthritis. The current gold standard of treatment involves replacement of the injured anterior cruciate ligament with a tendon graft to reestablish gross stability of the knee joint. Most commonly, sections of the hamstring tendon or the middle third of the patella tendon are used as the graft material. Recovery can be lengthy and contributes to the financial burden that comes with this injury. The long and intensive physical therapy that is needed after surgery focuses on strengthening the muscles around the knee to minimize the chance of reinjury. In the future, focus will be set on further improving injury prevention and the development of less invasive surgical techniques.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Orthopaedic Surgery, Sports Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Benedikt L. Proffen MD & Martha M. Murray MD

Authors
  1. Benedikt L. Proffen MD
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  2. Martha M. Murray MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martha M. Murray MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics, Boston Children’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Cynthia J. Stein

  2. Division of Sports Medicine,Department of Orthopedics, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Neuroendocrine Unit,Department of Medicine, Children’s Hospital; Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Kathryn E. Ackerman

  3. Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Andrea Stracciolini

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Proffen, B.L., Murray, M.M. (2016). ACL Injuries in the Female Athlete. In: Stein, C., Ackerman, K., Stracciolini, A. (eds) The Young Female Athlete. Contemporary Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21632-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21632-4_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21631-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21632-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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