Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Missouri High School Male and Female Soccer Athletes

Abstract

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in Missouri High School male and female soccer players during the 2011-2013 seasons, using a retrospective method for calculating athletic exposures. METHODS: A web-based survey was created and sent to every high school soccer coach in Missouri using the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) database. The survey investigated the number of athletic exposures over the course of the season and number of ACL injuries for each team in both the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. The primary outcome measure was ACL injuries. Secondary endpoints included specific characteristics of each ACL injury including contact or non-contact, position, practice or game, school grade, and playing surface. RESULTS: During the study period 330,062 athletic exposures (163,511 male and 166,551 female) were reported. 36 ACL tears (28 female and 8 male) occurred. ACL injury rates were calculated per 1000 estimated athletic exposures: Female: total, 0.17; match, 0.47; practice, 0.02. Male: total, 0.05; match, 0.18; practice, 0. Female high school soccer athletes had a 3.4 times greater risk of ACL tear than male high school soccer athletes. Female athletes were 27x more likely to tear their ACL in a match compared to practice. CONCLUSIONS: Female high school soccer athletes had an increased susceptibility to ACL tear compared to male athletes. For both female and male athletes, a large majority of ACL tears occurred during matches.