Deficits in Hip-Ankle Coordination in Female Athletes who Suffer a Second Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury after ACL Reconstruction and Return to Sport

摘要

Objectives:Athletes who return to sport after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) are at increased risk of future ACL injury. Proprioceptive deficits at the knee, known to be present at thetime of ACL injury, may persist for up to 2 years after ACLR. Coordinated movements of the hip and ankle are critical in the absence of normal knee proprioception during dynamic athletic movements. Failure to optimally position the knee may make the passive structures susceptible to pathologic stresses that increase the risk of subsequent ligament or graft failure. The purpose of this work was to prospectively determine if altered lower extremity coordination patterns exist in female athletes, who go on to suffer a second ACL injury to either limb, after ACLR and return to sport (RTS). The study tested the hypothesis that female athletes who sustained a second ACL injury would demonstrate altered lower extremity coordination patterns indicative of persistent neuromuscular deficits at the time of return to sport compared to female athletes who would not subsequently sustain a second ACL injury.