Risk assessment of anterior cruciate ligament injury in young healthy subjects: pilot study

Abstract

Introduction. It is well established that the absence of dynamic knee joint stability may be responsible for increased rates of knee injury in female athletes. Ligament dominance, which is more characteristic in females, is related to the inability of muscles to control torque on the joints of the lower extremity, especially the knee joint. Ligament dominance often results in excessive knee valgus motion or abnormal forces (Ford et al., 2003). Therefore increased knee valgus motion suggests altered muscular control of the lower extremities and reflects changes in contraction patterns of knee joint surounding muscles. The knee valgus moment is thought to be a risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries as it subjects the ACL to increased strain (Hewett, 2005). Decreased neuromuscular control of the knee joint reduces knee joint stiffness and increases risk to the ligaments injuries. Individual neuromuscular training program can effectively change the poor pattern of dynamic knee posture (Barber-Westin et al, 2010). Many researchers have confirmed that observational risk screening is a practical and cost-effective method of screening for knee ligaments injury risk in athletes (Ekegren et al, 2009). But there is a lack of reasearch of such screening method aplication in non athletes. The aim of the study – to assess the dynamic knee joint stability in young healthy females. [...].