Prediction of secondary ACL injury in female athletes using 2D video-based measurements obtained during dynamic tasks: a retrospective case–control study

Review written by Dr Travis Pollen info

Key Points

  1. During return-to-sport testing after ACL reconstruction, there are few valid clinical measures of movement quality.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

In high-risk sports, ~25% of athletes who return to sport (RTS) after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction sustain a second ACL injury, either to the same or opposite leg (1). One potential contributing factor to this high reinjury rate is inadequate RTS testing.

Current testing protocols typically assess strength and performance during dynamic tasks (e.g. jumping, landing, and cutting) but overlook movement quality (e.g. knee valgus, pelvic tilt, and trunk lean). When movement quality has been assessed, it has often been conducted in a 3D biomechanical laboratory with equipment that isn’t accessible to most clinicians. A more clinically viable approach is 2D video analysis.

This study investigated the ability of 2D video-based measurements of dynamic tasks to predict secondary ACL injuries in female athletes.

In high-risk sports, ~25% of athletes who return to sport after an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction sustain a second ACL injury.
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This finding supports the exploration of hip-dominant movement training – and other risk-reducing movement strategies investigated in the study – for secondary ACL injury prevention.

METHODS

80 female athletes (median age = 17, range = 11–26) with a history of ACL reconstruction who played high-risk sports were included in a retrospective case–control study. Of the 80 athletes, 23 cases sustained a second ACL injury (all non-contact;

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