Apr 20, 2018Similar Cause of Tear
While women are two to four times more likely than men to tear the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in their knee, the cause of this injury is no different between the sexes, according to new research from Duke Health.
The findings counter a common explanation for the higher incidence of the injury in women.
Previous research had suggested women are more susceptible to ACL tears because their knees move differently, but the Duke team found ACL tears occur the same way in women and men.
Led by biomedical engineer Louis DeFrate, Ph.D., the Duke team used a forensic approach to reconstruct injuries by examining bone bruises on the knees of 15 men and 15 women with torn ACLs. Their findings will be published online April 18 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
The study, while small, is a more rigorous forensic analysis than patient interviews and slow-motion replays of athletes’ ACL tears, which other studies have relied upon to understand the injury and possible causes for the disparity between the sexes. Some experts have also attempted to create injury prevention programs targeted at women using video replays as a template.
We used MRI scans… then used 3-D modeling and computer algorithms to reconstruct the position of the knee when the injury occurred. Our results suggest that males and females have the same position of injury.””
“”Based on watching videos of athlete injuries
