ACL Injuries in the Female Athlete

Frank R. Noyes, M.D. is an internationally recognized orthopaedic surgeon and researcher, and the Founder and Chairman of the Cincinnati SportsMedicine and Orthopaedic Center and its Research Foundation. Dr. Noyes completed his orthopaedic training at the University of Michigan nearly 4 decades ago. He then received a 4-year clinical and research appointment as an orthopaedic surgeon in the United States Air Force, was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel, and began his landmark research into knee ligament injuries, the effects of immobilization, biomechanics of ligaments, prevention of ACL injuries in the female athlete, the diagnosis of all types of knee injuries and problems, and the results of treatment for a variety of knee disorders. Dr. Noyes established one of the first biomechanics laboratories in the U.S. at the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering, the Noyes Tissue Engineering and Biomechanics Laboratory. He has won multiple awards for his research from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, and the University of Cincinnati. He was inducted into the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Hall of Fame in 2008. He was selected as one of the 25 Best Knee Surgeons in the United States by Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine Review, 2010 and has been selected as one of the Best Doctors in America every year since 1992. Dr. Noyes is the authors of more than 260 journal articles and textbook chapters and co-editor of Noyes’ Knee Disorders: Surgery, Rehabilitation, Clinical Outcomes.Sue D. Barber-Westin, B.S., has been Director of Clinical and Applied Research at the Cincinnati SportsMedicine Research and Education Foundation since 1985. She is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a reviewer for the American Journal of Sports Medicine and Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. In 2004, Sue was joint recipient of the ORFF Clinical Research Award, presented by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons for the most distinguished clinical research project related directly to musculoskeletal disease or injury in the field of orthopaedics. She has published 127 manuscripts in peer-reviewed orthopaedic journals and textbooks and completed more than 60 clinical research projects involving 7,000 patients and volunteer subjects. She is an Associate Editor of the textbook Noyes’ Knee Disorders: Surgery, Rehabilitation, Clinical Outcomes.

Introduction: The ACL: Anatomy, Biomechanics, Mechanisms of Injury, and the Gender Disparity. The Impact of ACL Injuries: Short- and Long-Term Effects on the Knee Joint: Consequences of Complete ACL Ruptures.- ACL Reconstruction: Chondroprotective Effects, Risks of Reinjury. Proposed Risk Factors of Noncontact ACL Injuries: Role of Shoe-Surface Interaction and Noncontact ACL Injuries.- Neuromuscular Differences Between Men and Women.- Gender Differences in Muscular Protection of the Knee.- Effects of Alterations in Gait Mechanics on the Development of Osteoarthritis in the ACL-Deficient Knee.- Analysis of Male and Female Athletes' Muscle Activation Patterns During Running, Cutting, and Jumping.- Proximal Risk Factors for ACL Injury: Role of Core Stability.- Proximal Risk Factors for ACL Injury: Role of the Hip.- Gender Differences in Core Strength and Lower Extremity Function During the Single-leg Squat Test.- Gender Effect of Fatigue on Lower Extremity Kinematics and Kinetics During Athletic Tasks.- Testing for Neuromuscular Problems and Athletic Performance. ACL Injury Prevention Programs: Sportsmetrics ACL Intervention Training Program: Components, Results.- Sports-Specific Programs for Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis.- ACL Injury Prevention in Soccer: The Santa Monica Experience.- ACL Injury Prevention Warm-up Programs.- Effect of Intervention Programs on Reducing the Incidence of ACL Injuries, Improving Neuromuscular Deficiencies, and Enhancing Athletic Performance. Reducing the Risk of Reinjury After ACL Reconstruction: Rehabilitation After ACL Reconstruction.- Restoration of Proprioception and Neuromuscular Control Following ACL Injury and Surgery. Future Directions : Promotion of ACL Intervention Training Worldwide.- What We Know and Goals for Future Research.