Introduction. Perception of ACL injury prevention programs amongst professional netball players and coaches has not been studied. We investigated (1) level of awareness and experience of ACL injury prevention programs; (2) use of ACL injury prevention programs; and (3) barriers to implementing ACL injury prevention program in netball. Methodology. Female netball players representing Welsh senior and under-21 teams and elite and amateur coaches were invited electronically to this web-based study between 1st May–31st July 2021. Information on ACL injury susceptibility and seriousness, knowledge, experience, and implementation of ACL injury prevention programs were ascertained. Results. Twenty-eight players (77.8%) and 29 coaches (13.2%) completed the questionnaire. Seventeen (60.7%) players and 15 (51.7%) coaches reported
Purpose. Stress fractures (SFs) are highly prevalent in
A quick, portable and reliable tool for predicting ACL injury could be an invaluable instrument for athletes, coaches, and clinicians. The gold standard, Vicon motion analysis, despite having a high sensitivity and risk specificity, is not practical for coaches or clinicians to use on a routine basis for assessing athletes. The present study validated the Kinect device to the currently used method of chart review in predicting athletes at high risk. A total of 114 participants were recruited from both the men and women McGill Varsity Sports Program. 69 males and 45
Limb symmetry on a battery of functional tests is becoming more common as a clinical rehabilitation tool serving as a proxy assessment for readiness to return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The predictive capability of each included test for determining the likelihood of a second ACL injury is not well known. This study combines 14 established functional tests into a comprehensive return-to-sport assessment (RTSA). Study purpose: to determine if any of the functional tests were independently related to a second ACL injury occurring after the patient was cleared for return to sport. The RTSA was administered to 226 individuals after primary, unilateral ACLR who were followed for at least 24 months (51% female; mean ± SD age, 18.9 ± 4.0 years at RTSA, 9.4 ± 2.4 months post-surgery). The RTSA included 14 tests that involved calculation of Limb Symmetry Indices (LSI): leg press [LP], eccentric hamstring strength [HS], hip adductor strength [HA], Y Balance Test (anterior [YANT], posteromedial [YPM], posterolateral [YPL]), single hop [SH], triple hop [TH], crossover hop [CH], 6 meter timed hop [TiH], lateral hop [LH], medial hop [MH], vertical jump [VJ], single leg squat [SLS]. LSI averaged values of three trials for each leg for LP, HS, HA, SH, TH, CH, TiH, LH, MH, VJ, and SLS. The lowest bilateral difference across three trials was used for YANT, YPM, and YPL. Logistic regression using backward elimination was used to predict the odds of a second non-contact ACL injury using the RTSA, sex, age, and months post-surgery at RTSA as the independent variables. Twenty-five (11%) patients returned to have a subsequent ACL surgery. Twenty of the 25 experienced a second non-contact ACL injury (70% female; 10 ipsilateral, 10 contralateral). Of the 14
Background The minimum size required for a successful quadrupled hamstring autograft ACL reconstruction remains controversial. The risks of ACL re-tear in younger patients who tend to participate in a higher level of sports activity, and
Purpose. Alpine skiing is associated with large skeletal loads with distinct patterns of loading rate and direction, and alpine skiers were previously found to have a robust bone structure compared to normally active controls. However, it is not known whether the mechanical stimuli experienced by skiers are also associated with enhanced bone microarchitecture and strength. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) to compare bone macro- and microarchitecture and bone strength between elite alpine skiers and normally active controls. Method. Participants included 7 female and 12 male members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, and 10 female and 16 male normally active control subjects. A whole body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan was performed to measure lean mass and percent body fat. HR-pQCT (XtremeCT, Scanco) was used to assess bone macro- and microarchitecture including total, cortical and trabecular bone area, total and cortical bone mineral density (BMD), and bone volume ratio (BV/TV) of the dominant distal tibia and radius. Finite element analysis was applied to the HR-pQCT scans to estimate bone strength (failure load, N). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare outcomes between groups adjusting for body weight (tibia) and height (tibia and radius). Results. Bone area of the distal radius was significantly greater in female (30%, p<.001) and male (21%, p=.003) skiers compared with controls. Similarly, distal radius failure load was greater in female (37%, p=.001) and male (42%, p<.001) skiers. Higher BV/TV was apparent in the distal tibia of the male (18%, p=.005) and female skiers (19%, p=.012) and at the radius for the male skiers (19%, p=.02) compared with controls. High BV/TV is associated with a higher trabecular area at the distal tibia for the