Pubertal growth timing may be associated with increased mechanical risk for ACL injury
Reaching full, adult height at an older age may be correlated with riskier landing biomechanics and a higher susceptibility for ACL injury in young men, according to published results.
In a cross-sectional study, researchers from the departments of kinesiology and health and orthopedic and plastic surgery at Wright State University analyzed 21 recreationally active men (aged 20 to 33 years) for knee kinematics and age at adult height.
After taking participants’ anthropometric measurements, researchers administered six drop vertical jump (DVJ) tests, recording sagittal and frontal plane knee kinematics and kinetics during contact, according to the study.
“In both limbs, age at achieving adult height was significantly negatively correlated with knee flexion/extension angle at toe-off and with peak flexion and extension angles during contact,” the researchers wrote in the study. “In the nondominant limb, age at adult height was significantly negatively correlated with varus/valgus angle at initial contact, and toe-off and was positively correlated with peak varus moment during contact. Age at adult height was also positively correlated with peak vertical ground-reaction force,” they wrote.
The researchers concluded men with longer pubertal growth may be at higher risk for ACL injury due to their riskier landing profiles. However, they considered their results to be “hypothesis generating more than a demonstration of clear support for a particular hypothesis,” they wrote.
Still, researchers noted the results are an important first step in demonstrating the relationships between age at adult height, growth outcomes and DVJ biomechanics.
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