ACL injury: Are female footballers more prone to the injury than male players?

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is among the most feared setbacks in a sport like football. This injury often leads to a break of 9 to 12 months for players and sometimes even leads to a career halt. Recently Fulham footballer Beau Parker suffered an ACL injury. The female footballer’s second time dealing with the injury highlights what research has consistently shown: female footballers are more prone to ACL injuries than male players. The ACL is one of the knee ligaments that connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. According to Mayo Clinic, an ACL injury is a tear or sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament. It most commonly occurs during sports that involve sudden stops or changes in direction, jumping and landing, such as soccer, basketball, football and downhill skiing. According to News.sky.com, Kingston University, with funding from FIFA, is running one of the research projects trying to find out why. The researchers believe female players are 2 to 7 times more susceptible to ACL ruptures than their male counterparts. The researchers note the difference is due to several factors that include muscles, limbs, size and strength.According to an article in Northwestern Medicine, ACL injuries occur for many reasons, but there are three main reasons why they’re more common in women:Anatomy: Women generally have wider hips compared to men and are often more knocked-kneed, which means their knees tend to tilt inward. This alignment alters the knee joint, increasing the risk of ACL injuries during movements such as jumping, pivoting and landing. The ACL tissue is also typically thinner in women, so it takes less force to tear. Biomechanics: When women land, it’s usually in an upright posture, resulting in straighter knees and less core engagement. This is different from men who usually land with bent knees and with more core engagement.Hormones: Research shows that the elasticity of collagen in the knee is impacted throughout different stages in the menstrual cycle, resulting in a higher risk of ACL injury.