MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract: This is a patient guide directed towards high school female athletes, who happen to be at an increased risk of ACL injuries compared to males. Since the passing of Title IX in 1972, there has been a ten-fold increase in female participation in sports, leading to more overall injuries. In the US alone, there are about 250,000 ACL injuries annually with research showing that females have a four to six fold increase risk. Surgery and rehabilitation for ACL tears can cause upwards of $25,000, making this a very costly injury financially as well physically as there is a 6-9 month recovery period. For this reason, research has been and is currently being done to find out why females are more susceptible to this injury and what preventative methods could be taken in order to prevent injury. So far, some key differences between males and females that lead to an increased risk of ACL injury in females is due to: anatomical differences, neuromuscular imbalances, and hormonal differences. Although females are built physically different, there are still things that they can do and this guide will look to address that. This guide will also target those who may have previously torn their ACLs before and provide some rehabilitation exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee to prevent this injury from happening again.


Reader’s Profile: I imagine a parent that is skeptical of the results that special training techniques can reduce the risks of knee injuries and is hesitant to spend money on that special training.

Reader’s Response: I understand the objectives of this guide and really take into account everything mentioned here in my decision for my child. However, I am skeptical that these techniques can really help my daughter. My daughter has been playing sports for over 10 years now without any major injuries and no special outside training or rehabilitation. I’m not so sure how much longer she will be playing as collegiate sports is very difficult to get into. Given the chance that she will only play for a couple of years, why should I spend money

P -- let's touch base about using male/female v. men/women and girls/boys....I think that you are patterning after the biomedical literature, but women might work better in guide? Let's talk about this briefly.

Be specific about the steps: exercise, strengthening, equipment (shoes, taping, braces, etc.)

I am looking forward to reading this.