Ebook: ACL Injuries in the Female Athlete: Causes, Impacts, and Conditioning Programs

Nearly a million anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur each year worldwide, causing long-term problems in the knee joint. This textbook examines the short- and long-term impacts of ACL injuries on the basis of hundreds of published studies. Risk factors for such injuries are explored using data from hypothesis-driven investigations, and possible causes of the higher risk of noncontact ACL injuries in female athletes are analyzed. Neuromuscular training programs shown to reduce the rate of these injuries in female athletes are described in step-by-step detail with the aid of numerous color photographs and video demonstrations. In addition, detailed descriptions are provided for rehabilitation programs to be used after ACL reconstruction in order to reduce the risk of a future injury. The book will be of value to orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, athletic trainers, sports medicine primary care physicians, and strength and conditioning specialists.

Nearly a million anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur each year worldwide. Such injuries can cause long-term problems in the knee joint, including in particular the early onset of osteoarthritis. It has been evident for some time that a tremendous gender disparity exists in noncontact ACL injuries in sports, and this aspect has been the subject of intensive research.

This textbook, focusing on female athletes, reviews and discusses:

• The short- and long-term impacts of ACL injuries
• Risk factors and possible causes of the higher injury risk in females
• Neuromuscular training programs and their effectiveness in reducing noncontact ACL injury rates in females
• Sports-specific programs for a range of sports with proven improvements in athletic performance
• Rehabilitation programs after ACL reconstruction that reduce the risk of a future injury
• Worldwide implementation of neuromuscular retraining

The book will be of value to orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, athletic trainers, sports medicine primary care physicians, and strength and conditioning specialists.