Females have Lower Knee Strength and Vertical Ground Reaction Forces During Landing than Males Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction at the Time of Return to Sport.
Zachary B Sullivan, Barrie S Sugarman, Mallory S Faherty and 9 others
PMID 35693866WHAT IT FOUND
At return to sport after ACL reconstruction, females had lower knee strength than males in both legs.
Males landing on the reconstructed leg had greater vertical force relative to body weight. Balance scores did not differ.
Key findings
01Females had lower knee strength than males in both the reconstructed and healthy legs.
02Males had greater vertical force during landing on the reconstructed leg after accounting for body weight.
03Static and dynamic balance scores did not differ between sexes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 18 athletes were studied, with 10 males and 8 females, so the findings are preliminary. The paper reports risk factors at return-to-sport, not reinjury outcomes. Failed balance trials were not counted, so the number of failed attempts was not used to interpret balance. The specific rehabilitation each participant received before clearance was not controlled or reported. The authors said the knee angle difference reached significance but was near neutral and likely not clinically relevant.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that females are more at risk of a second ACL injury because they had lower knee strength, or that males are more at risk because they had greater landing force. The study measured risk factors at clearance, not reinjury outcomes, and the authors judged the small knee angle difference near neutral and unlikely clinically relevant.