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ACL injury most likely in female high school athletes participating in basketball, soccer, lacrosse

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Data presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics Conference and Exhibition indicates female high school athletes have a higher risk of ACL tear per exposure than their male counterparts. This risk is higher still in female athletes who participate in basketball, soccer and lacrosse.

“It has been well established that the risk for ACL tear per athletic exposure is higher in female athletes compared to males,” lead author Alex L. Gornitzky, BS, stated in a press release from the American Academy of Pediatrics. “As participation rates in high school athletics continues to rise significantly, it has become increasingly important to establish up-to-date, individualized injury information for high school athletes and their families, who represent a large proportion of patients visiting pediatric orthopedic and sports medicine clinics.”

The study, conducted by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, found high-risk sports (basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse) provide greater risks for ACL tears among both genders. Although the study determined male high school athletes sustained most ACL tears, when broken down on a per exposure basis, the rate of injury is higher in female high school athletes.

Per season, the risk of an ACL injury was 1.1% in female high school athletes who participated in soccer, 0.9% for those who participated in basketball and 0.5% for those who participated in lacrosse. Similar risks in male high school athletes were found for those who participated in football (0.8%), lacrosse (0.4%) and soccer (0.3%), according to the press release.

Reference:

Gornitzky AL, et al. Paper #31541. Presented at: American Academy of Pediatrics Conference and Exhibition; Oct. 24-27, 2015; Washington, D.C.

Disclosure: Orthopedics Today was unable to determine whether the authors have any relevant financial disclosures.