Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament, aka the ACL, occur commonly in sports. However, research shows that female athletes suffer significantly more ACL injuries than their male counterparts. Previously, studies on gender disparities in ACL injuries has focused on biological factors, such as anatomy and hormones.
However, ACL injury rates among girls and women have remained unchanged despite decades of research. Experts are increasingly considering how a gendered environment and sexism in sports may increase the risk of ACL injuries among female athletes and affect treatment outcomes. The anterior cruciate ligament is a strong, thick band of tissue in the center of the knee which connects the thigh bone or femur to the shin bone or tibia, ACL injuries include sprains or tears to the ligament, which can range in severity.
Patients often feel a popping sensation, followed by pain and swelling. People often injure their ACL while playing sports, especially agility-based sports which involve quick changes in direction or jumping and landing, Dr. Andrew Pearle, chief of sports medicine at the Hospital for Special Surgery, tells TODAY.
com. These include soccer, basketball, lacrosse, football, field hockey and volleyball, Pearle adds. Anyone can suffer an ACL injury, from children playing after school sports to elite athletes.
Olympians are no exception. Rebeca Andrade, the Brazilian gymnast who won gold in the women’s floor exercise at the Paris Olympics, that she overcame t.