Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Patterns Research Articles

Prevalence of Concomitant Injuries by Sport in Pediatric Patients With ACL Rupture.

Although the risk of concomitant injury with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears as a function of specific sports participation has been studied in adults, the topic has not been examined in pediatric and adolescent patients. The purpose of the study was to determine if certain sports were associated with a higher risk of concomitant injuries in the setting of an ACL tear. It was hypothesized that the risk of concomitant injuries with ACL tears will differ by type of sport participation in the pediatric population. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Patients ≤18 years old from 2 tertiary children's hospitals who had undergone primary ACL reconstruction between 2006 and 2018 were included. Sport at the time of injury, demographic factors, and injury pattern (medial meniscal [MM] tears, lateral meniscal [LM] tears, posterior cruciate ligament [PCL] tears, medial collateral ligament [MCL] tears, lateral collateral ligament [LCL] tears, and any concomitant injury) were identified. A total of 855 patients with a mean age of 15.5 ± 1.7 years (range, 7-22 years) met the inclusion criteria. Of the included patients, 353 (41.3%) had an isolated ACL tear. A concomitant MM tear was identified in 27.6% of patients, LM tear in 42.9%, PCL injury in 0.4%, MCL injury in 3.0%, and LCL injury in 0.5%. There was no difference in the likelihood of concomitant MM injuries by sex (29.3% for male patients vs 26% for female patients; P = .31) or by sex within basketball (29.3% for male patients vs 25.6% for female patients; P = .96) or soccer (32.3% vs 26.3%; P = .06). Boys had higher proportions of LM injuries overall (51.7% for male patients vs 34.6% for female patients; P < .001) but not within the basketball subgroup (50.5% vs 40.0%; P = .86) or the soccer subgroup (59.7% vs 40.0%; P = .19). No statistically significant associations were found between patient age and specific ACL concomitant injury patterns. When stratifying by body mass index, it was found overweight and obese individuals constituted a greater proportion of LM (49.6% vs 39.1%; P = .01) but not MM (29.4% vs 25.5%; P = .28) injuries when compared to normal-weight patients. Using basketball as the comparison group, soccer and football injuries were 18% more likely to result in any concomitant injury, including concomitant MM, LM, PCL, MCL, and LCL injuries. In the pediatric population, soccer and football players were more likely to present with a concomitant injury in addition to ACL injury relative to basketball players. This study aids in understanding sport-associated ACL injury patterns and can help physicians with patient counseling and injury prevention.

Incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury patterns in Japanese judo players from a nationwide insurance database

ObjectiveThis study aimed to characterize the age- and sex-specific Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rates and related injury patterns in judo players in Japan using the nationwide insurance database. MethodsThis was a descriptive epidemiological study. We examined a total of 2142 adolescents with anterior cruciate ligament injuries registered in the insurance system of the Japan Sports Council between January 2009 and December 2018. The age- and sex-specific incidences were estimated for the levels of 7th, 8th, and 9th grades of junior high school and 10th, 11th, and 12th grades of high school. The anterior cruciate ligament injury circumstances were classified into three patterns based on the impact to the involved knee: high-impact valgus force, low-impact trunk displacement, or no-impact knee twisting. ResultsThe incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury from the 7th to 12th grades were 0.5, 0.9, 0.9, 6.9, 8.6, and 6.1 per 1000 athlete-years in male players and 1.3, 3.8, 3.4, 16.8, 19.5, and 13.6 per 1000 athlete-years in female players. The most prevalent injury pattern was a low-impact contact injury (42.6%) with Osoto-gari, followed by a high-impact contact injury (29.8%). The concomitant medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury rate was 18.1%, which was correlated with a high-impact contact injury (p = 0.005) by multiple regression analysis. ConclusionsThe highest incidence of age- and sex-specific anterior cruciate ligament injury was 19.5 per 1000 athlete-years in female high school students in the 11th grade. The most frequent injury pattern was low-impact contact injury with trunk displacement, indicating that trunk stabilization training could help prevent anterior cruciate ligament injury in judo.

Pattern of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) among Athletes in Malaysia between 2015 and 2020

Background. Individual involvement in sports activity is rising and thus increases the risk of knee injury. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture is the most common knee injury requiring ACL reconstruction (ACLR). However, limited evidence is available to date on ACLR characteristics in Malaysia for comparison with Western countries. This study aims to describe the epidemiological characteristic of ACLR surgery and the trend of pre-operative physiotherapy (pre-habilitation).&#x0D; Materials and methods. ACLR cases recorded in a tertiary hospital database between January 2015 and December 2020 were extracted and reviewed. This retrospective study was approved by the hospital’s Research Ethics Committee (UKMPPI/111/8/JEP-2020-500). All ACLR cases involving sports injuries were included with the exclusion of non-sports related injuries. Yearly ACLR cases were retrieved using an Injury Information form containing variables namely age, gender, type of ACL tear, accompanying meniscus injury, duration from injury to surgery and pre-habilitation details. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the sample data.&#x0D; Results. A total of 131 ACLR cases were reported between 2015 and2020 (Male, n =122; Female, n = 25). The number of ACLR cases fluctuated during the observed years, with a maximum of 30 cases reported in a year and 98% of the cases were represented by the youth age group (15 – 47 years old). The average age at time of surgery was 27.1 (± 7.79). On an average, 80% of athletes stated no history of previous knee injury. The most common type of ACL injury was a complete tear (88%), followed by partial tear (9%), and re-rupture (3%). A meniscus injury was noted in 61% of cases. The time from injury to surgery was 15 weeks. The study found low percentage of the ACLR patients who received pre-habilitation prior to surgery (&lt;20%).&#x0D; Conclusions. ACLR cases are showing a fluctuating trend every year. Despite the majority of the ACL cases being a complete tear, the participants waited more than four months to undergo ACLR, with only a quarter of them had pre-habilitation prior to surgery. The reasons for these situations require investigation. Future research inclusive of a larger database is also desirable to develop a better insight into ACL injury pattern.

Lessons from establishing a football-specific registry of anterior cruciate ligament injuries - data collection and first epidemiological data

ABSTRACT Purpose Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a common severe type of football injury. Injury prevention measures should be adapted to the respective type of sports and be based on sports-specific strategies. A football-specific ACL registry including prospective ACL injury data of both sexes and at different skill levels is lacking in the literature. Methods In Germany, a prospective ‘ACL registry for German Football’ was implemented in the 2014–15 football season. Professional football leagues (1st to 3rd national league), semi-professional football leagues (4th until 6th leagues) and amateur football leagues (7th league and below) were monitored regarding the incidence of ACL injuries, risk factors, general treatment and rehabilitation. After the registration of an injury, injured players were sent a standardised questionnaire. Results Overall, 1,206 ACL ruptures were registered in the investigated population of more than 56,000 players, resulting in a prevalence of 2.1%. The highest prevalence was found in men’s amateur football (2.7%) as well as in men’s and women’s professional football (2.1% each). Conclusion This football-specific ACL registry provides for the first-time longitudinal data about ACL injury patterns and treatment at all football levels. This report describes the considerations for data collection and presents first epidemiological results of 6 years of ACL injury registration.

Biologic agents to optimize outcomes following ACL repair and reconstruction: A systematic review of clinical evidence.

Treatment options for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have greatlydeveloped over the past decades. Althoughreconstruction surgery is a concretereality, stimulation of ACL healing through biological techniques could represent a revolutionary conservative approach. The use of biologic products, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), to treat partial ruptures or to enhance ligamentization after reconstruction, could thoroughly improve clinical outcomes. The aim of the present paper is to systematically review the available literature onthis topic, to (i) describe the current state of the art in available biologic techniques; (ii) clarify the outcomes of their application; (iii) identify areas needing further investigation and possible future development. A systematic review of the literature on the use of biologically active agents (PRP and MSCs) to enhance outcomes of ACL surgery was performed: 31 studies were included. Based on the ACL injury pattern, 6 papers investigated biologic agents in ACL partial tears whereas 25 papers in ACL reconstruction. Sixteenof twenty-five studies dealing with ACL reconstruction were randomized controlled trials, whereas only case series are available for partial ACL tears. Current evidence is still lacking sound data to support the use of biological agents: no clinical superiority has been described when using PRP in ACL reconstruction. Concerning ACL healing in partial tears, the application of PRP has led to encouraging outcomes, but these findings should be confirmed by appropriately designed RCTs.

Anterior cruciate ligament injury patterns and their relationship to fatigue and physical fitness levels - a cross-sectional study.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most common knee injuries that leads to many consequences such as early osteoarthritis and knee joint instability.To explore the association of the types of ACL tear (complete and partial) and side of injury (dominant vs nondominate) with types of playing surfaces, sports, shoes, and mechanism of injuries as well as to determine whether higher levels of fatigue and physical fitness are risk factors for complete ACL tear.This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire to collect information from young male adults with a confirmed ACL injury who were attending rehabilitation programs. The outcomes of interest were patterns of ACL injury, levels of fatigue before the injury on a 0 to 10 scale, and levels of physical fitness (hours per week). Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to assess the differences between groups, while the odds ratios were calculated to evaluate risk factors for complete ACL tear.One hundred thirteen young male adults with a confirmed ACL injury were enrolled. Most of the reported ACL injuries in this study were complete tear (80.5%) and occurred more frequently in the dominant leg (74.6%) due to noncontact mechanism (63.6%). More ACL injuries happened while playing soccer (97.2%) on artificial turf (53.3%). The level of fatigue before ACL injury was significantly higher in partial ACL tear injuries compared to complete ACL tear injuries (P = .014). For every 1-point increase in the level of fatigue on a 0–10 scale, there was a 25% reduction in complete ACL injury risk (P = .023).The pattern of ACL types of tear and side of injury varies in different playing surfaces and mechanisms of injuries. Higher levels of fatigue seem to be associated with a partial tear of the ACL and reduction of a complete ACL tear risk factor.

Clinical examination of partial ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament: A retrospective case–control study

BackgroundAnterior drawer test, Lachman test including evaluation of the endpoint, and pivot shift test have been commonly applied clinically in diagnosing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury but how they function in the appraisal of partial ACL tears is less known. The aims of this study were to examine the diagnostic values of the commonly used knee function tests on patients in detecting ACL injury including partial injury patterns, to assess each of the test's predictive values on the specific ACL injury pattern, and to assess if using multiple tests collectively for the diagnosis of the injury could improve diagnostic accuracy. MethodsWe evaluated 36 consecutive patients who underwent ACL single bundle augmentation surgery. Those patients were matched by gender and age to 36 patients with a complete rupture of the ACL. Data was obtained from the patients' records. The rupture pattern was confirmed by arthroscopy. An examination under anesthesia was routinely performed by two surgeons who were blinded to the rupture pattern prior to surgery. ResultsCollectively using both Lachman test and pivot shift test increases ability to distinguish between partial tears and complete ruptures. When comparing partial PL tears and complete ruptures the pivot shift test is more important than the Lachman test. In diagnosing a complete rupture, the evaluation of the endpoint during the Lachman test is more sensitive than the evaluation of the anterior tibial translation during the Lachman test. ConclusionBased on the findings of this study, a diagnostic algorithm has been implemented and is presented in this manuscript.

Prevalence of anterolateral complex injury and associated injuries in knees with acute complete and partial anterior cruciate ligament injury

Aim: Kaplan fibers, capsule, ligament (ALL) and Iliotibial band are defined as secondary stabilizers of the internal tibial rotation of the knee. These structures have been summarized as the Anterolateral complex (ALC). We aimed to determine the ALC injury prevalence and the association between Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and ALC injury patterns. Materials and Methods: MRI scans of ACL injuries were retrospectively evaluated for the presence of the ACL injury pattern (partial or complete), ALL, iliotibial band, Kaplans fiber, meniscus, bone marrow edema (BME) and collateral ligament pathology. The patients were divided into groups according to the ACL injury pattern. The prevalence of injury of the anatomical structures between groups was examined. Results: MRI scans of 152 patients (152 knees) were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 28.5±8.6 (range, 18-55). 138 patients were male and 14 were female. Complete ACL injury was detected in 127 (83.6%) patients confirmed by MRI and arthroscopic procedure and partial ACL injury was detected in 25 (16.4%) patients confirmed by MRI. 90 (59.2%) patients had an ALL injury, 87 (57.2%) had an iliotibial band injury, 82 (53.9%) patients had a Kaplans fiber injury, 53 (34.9%) patients had a meniscal injury, 99 (65.1%) patients had BME and 70 (46.1%) patients had a collateral ligament injury. In the complete ACL injury group, the ratio of ALL, iliotibial band, Kaplan fiber, meniscal injury, BME, collateral ligament injury was significantly higher than the partial ACL injury group (p 0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of injury in at least one anatomic structure of ALC was significantly higher in patients with a complete ACL injury (73.2%) than those with partial ACL injury (32%) at our institution. This study demonstrated that ALC injuries were statistically higher as well as meniscal injuries, BME, collateral ligament injuries after complete ACL injury compared to partial ACL injury.

Validation of Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears Produced by a Mechanical Impact Simulator Against the Clinical Presentation of Injury

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are catastrophic events that affect athletic careers and lead to long-term degenerative knee changes. As injuries are believed to occur within the first 50 milliseconds after initial contact during a rapid deceleration task, impact simulators that rapidly deliver impulse loads to cadaveric specimens have been developed. However, no impactor has reproducibly and reliably created ACL injures in a distribution that mimics clinical observation. Purpose: To better understand ACL injury patterns through a cadaveric investigation that applied in vivo–measured external loads to the knee during simulated landings. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A novel mechanical impact simulator reproduced kinetics from in vivo–recorded drop landing tasks on 45 cadaveric knees. Specimens were exposed to a randomized order of variable knee abduction moment, anterior tibial shear, and internal tibial rotation loads before the introduction of an impulse load at the foot. This process was repeated until a hard or soft tissue injury was induced on the joint. Injuries were assessed by an orthopaedic surgeon, and ligament strain was recorded by implanted strain gauges. Results: The mechanical impact simulator induced ACL injuries in 87% of specimens, with medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries in 31%. ACL tear locations were 71% femoral side, 21% midsubstance, and 9% tibial side. Peak strain before failure for ACL-injured specimens was 15.3% ± 8.7% for the ACL and 5.1% ± 5.6% for the MCL (P < .001). Conclusion: The ACL injuries induced by the mechanical impact simulator in the present study have provided clinically relevant in vitro representations of in vivo ACL injury patterns as cited in the literature. Additionally, current ligament strains corroborate the literature to support disproportionate loading of the ACL relative to the MCL during athletic tasks. Clinical Relevance: These findings indicate that the mechanical impact simulator is an appropriate model for examining independent mechanical variables, treatment techniques, and preventive interventions during athletic tasks leading up to and including an ACL injury. Accordingly, this system can be utilized to further parse out contributing factors to an ACL injury as well as assess the shortcomings of ACL reconstruction techniques in a dynamic, simulated environment that is better representative of in vivo injury scenarios.

The Effect of Bony Parameters on the Pediatric Knee: Normal versus Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury versus Tibial Spine Avulsion Fracture.

Purpose Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries can present as a ligamentous disruption or avulsion fracture of the tibial spine in pediatric patients. Differences in knee morphometric parameters have been investigated between pediatric cohorts with ACL disruptions and tibial spine avulsion fractures. However, no study to date has compared morphometric parameters in patients with tibial spine avulsion fracture against a control population. Methods A retrospective review of pediatric patients undergoing knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies was performed, identifying 15 patients with tibial spine avulsion fracture between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2013. Inclusionary criteria consisted of patients who sustained an acute tibial spine avulsion fracture and had MRI examination. The MRI studies were analyzed by a pediatric musculoskeletal radiologist, who measured identified bony parameters, and results were compared with an age-matched control group and a skeletally immature cohort with ligamentous disruption of the ACL. Data were analyzed using unpaired t test and logistic regression. Results Cohorts included 15 patients with a tibial spine avulsion fracture, 39 with an ACL disruption, and 28 in the age-matched control group. The tibial spine group demonstrated no significant differences in bony parameters when compared with the control group, but had significantly wider tibial eminence widths in comparison to the ACL group (2.92 cm [0.4] versus 2.71 cm [0.27]; p = 0.040). Additionally, this finding was predictive of tibial spine avulsion injury when assessed by logistic regression. Conclusions Pediatric patients who sustain a tibial spine avulsion fracture exhibit significantly wider tibial eminences when compared with the cohort with ACL injuries. This indicates a possible biomechanical explanation for differences in ACL injury patterns that should be examined in future, prospective analyses.

Biologic agents for anterior cruciate ligament healing: A systematic review

AIMTo systematically review the currently available literature concerning the application of biologic agents such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells to promote anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) healing.METHODSA systematic review of the literature was performed on the use of biologic agents (i.e., PRP or stem cells) to favor ACL healing during reconstruction or repair. The following inclusion criteria for relevant articles were used: Clinical reports of any level of evidence, written in English language, on the use of PRP or stem cells during ACL reconstruction/repair. Exclusion criteria were articles written in other languages, reviews, or studies analyzing other applications of PRP/stem cells in knee surgery not related to promoting ACL healing.RESULTSThe database search identified 394 records that were screened. A total of 23 studies were included in the final analysis: In one paper stem cells were applied for ACL healing, in one paper there was a concomitant application of PRP and stem cells, whereas in the remaining 21 papers PRP was used. Based on the ACL injury pattern, two papers investigated biologic agents in ACL partial tears whereas 21 papers in ACL reconstruction. Looking at the quality of the available literature, 17 out of 21 studies dealing with ACL reconstruction were randomized controlled trials. Both studies on ACL repair were case series.CONCLUSIONThere is a paucity of clinical trials investigating the role of stem cells in promoting ACL healing both in case of partial and complete tears. The role of PRP is still controversial and the only advantage emerging from the literature is related to a better graft maturation over time, without documenting beneficial effects in terms of clinical outcome, bone-graft integration and prevention of bony tunnel enlargement.

A comparison of Telos™ stress radiography versus Rolimeter™ in the diagnosis of different patterns of anterior cruciate ligament tears

Our knowledge on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) pathomechanics has increased. The diagnosis of partial ACL tears must be accurate in order to adjust the operative planning to anatomic status and injury severity. Instrumented measurement of knee laxity is a useful preoperative tool to quantify anterior tibial translation and several laximetry tests are available. Yet, their accuracy remains to be established. Clinical examination combined to instrumented laximetry with Telos™ 15 kg and/or Rolimeter™ would increase their sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of various ACL injury patterns. One hundred and seventy-seven patients were prospectively included. The ACL status was validated by arthroscopy. Around 69.5% had a complete ACL tear and 30.5% had a partial ACL tear. Gross laxity with positive clinical tests was associated with complete ACL tears. Mean side-to-side difference was significantly greater with both laximetry methods in complete versus partial ACL tears. Laximetry results among different types of partial tears were not significantly different. Telos™ results were consistent with gross laxity confirmed by pivot-shift test, while this was not recorded with Rolimeter™. Gross laxity with clinical tests and anterior tibial translation more than 5mm with Telos™ were substantially associated with complete ACL tears. The combination of standard clinical examination with Telos™ was more accurate than with Rolimeter™ in the preoperative identification of the ACL injury pattern. Applying additional diagnostic tools can help the surgeon to preoperatively diagnose partial or complete ACL ruptures and propose an injury-specific surgical treatment. Level III (case-control study).

Comparing the Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Collegiate Lacrosse, Soccer, and Basketball Players

Background Female college basketball and soccer athletes have higher rates of anterior cruciate ligament injury than do their male counterparts. Rates of anterior cruciate ligament injuries for women and men in collegiate lacrosse have not been examined. Understanding anterior cruciate ligament injury patterns in lacrosse, a full-contact sport for men and noncontact sport for women, could further injury prevention efforts. Hypotheses Female anterior cruciate ligament injury rates will decrease over time owing to longer participation in sports. Lacrosse anterior cruciate ligament injury rates will be lower than rates in basketball and soccer possibly owing to beneficial biomechanics of carrying a lacrosse stick. Study Design Cohort study (Prevalence); Level of evidence, 2. Methods Data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System were analyzed to compare men's and women's anterior cruciate ligament injuries in basketball, lacrosse, and soccer over 15 years. Results Anterior cruciate ligament injury rates in women's basketball and soccer were 0.28 and 0.32 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures, respectively, and did not decline over the study period. In men's basketball, injury rate fluctuated between 0.03 and 0.13 athlete exposures. Rates of anterior cruciate ligament injury did not significantly change in men's soccer over the study period. The rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury in men's lacrosse (0.17 athlete exposures, P < .05) was significantly higher than in men's basketball (0.08 athlete exposures) and soccer (0.12 athlete exposures). Injury rate in women's lacrosse (0.18 athlete exposures, P < .05) was significantly lower than in women's basketball and soccer. Conclusion There was no discernable change in rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury in men or women during the study period. Men's lacrosse is a high-risk sport for anterior cruciate ligament injury. Unlike basketball and soccer, the rates of anterior cruciate ligament injury are essentially the same in men's and women's lacrosse. The level of allowed contact in pivoting sports may be a factor in determining sport-specific anterior cruciate ligament risk.