Intraarticular Injuries Associated with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear: Findings at Ligament Reconstruction in High School and Recreational Athletes: An Analysis of Sex-Based Differences

Background Despite research on the increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament tears in female athletes, few studies have addressed sex differences in the incidence of associated intraarticular injuries. Hypothesis When patients are stratified by sport and competition level, no sex differences exis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of sports medicine 2003-07, Vol.31 (4), p.601-605
Main Authors: Piasecki, Dana P., Spindler, Kurt P., Warren, Todd A., Andrish, Jack T., Parker, Richard D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior Cruciate Ligament - surgery
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
Anthropometry
Athletic Injuries - epidemiology
Causality
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Injuries
Knee
Knee injuries
Male
Ohio - epidemiology
Prospective Studies
Rupture - epidemiology
Schools
Sex differences (Biology)
Sex Factors
Sports injuries
Teenage athletes
Tennessee - epidemiology
Tibial Meniscus Injuries
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Summary:Background Despite research on the increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament tears in female athletes, few studies have addressed sex differences in the incidence of associated intraarticular injuries. Hypothesis When patients are stratified by sport and competition level, no sex differences exist in either the mechanism of injury or pattern of intraarticular injuries observed at anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Two hundred twenty-one athletes undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction met our inclusion criteria of anterior cruciate ligament tear as a singular event without reinjury or history of prior injury or surgery in either knee. Data were collected on competition level (high school, amateur), sport (basketball, soccer, skiing), mechanism of injury, articular cartilage injuries, and meniscal tears. Data were statistically analyzed by sex with the chi-square test and Student's t-test. Results High school athletes had no significant sex differences in mechanism of injury. Female soccer athletes had fewer medial meniscal tears than did male athletes, and female basketball players had fewer medial femoral condyle injuries. At the amateur level, female basketball players had more contact injuries, an earlier onset of swelling, and fewer lateral meniscal tears than did male players. Conclusion At the high school level, male and female athletes shared a common mechanism of injury, and yet the female athletes had fewer intraarticular injuries in basketball and soccer. If such intraarticular injuries prove to be a significant risk factor for poor long-term outcome, women may enjoy a better prognosis after reconstruction.
ISSN:0363-5465
1552-3365
DOI:10.1177/03635465030310042101