What is it about?
This is a matched cohort study comparing the gait mechanics of young female athletes after primary ACLR who either go on to sustain a second ACL injury or return to sport successfully. We found that those who sustain a 2nd injury do NOT walk with worse mechanics or more asymmetries; they actually use a gait strategy that appears more normal. The athletes who sustained 2nd injuries, however, met enrollment criteria and return-to-sport criteria earlier. We therefore concluded that returning to sport earlier places young women at higher risk of 2nd ACL injury, even in the absence of gait impairments.
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Why is it important?
This is the first study to investigate gait mechanics, including estimations of muscle forces and knee joint loading, on the risk for 2nd ACL rupture.
Perspectives
We were initially quite surprised by our findings--those who walk the "best" are more likely to get 2nd injuries. However, we believe this work supports the growing evidence (e.g., see Grindem et al., BrJSM, 2016) indicating that return to sport after ACLR should be delayed until at least 9 months of longer--even in the absence of impairments. Thank you for reading our study! Please feel free to reach out to me directly with questions or comments (capin@udel.edu). Thank you.
Dr Jacob J. Capin
University of Delaware
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Gait mechanics and second ACL rupture: Implications for delaying return-to-sport, Journal of Orthopaedic Research®, November 2016, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/jor.23476.
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