The NCAA News - News & Features

Association institutes studies profiling noncontact ACL injuries

The stimulus for this study was a recently published five-year review of the NCAA's Injury Surveillance System data by Dr. Elizabeth Arendt of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and NCAA assistant director of sports sciences Randall W. Dick. This review showed ACL injuries to be significantly more common in females than males in certain sports. However, since this injury is devastating for both genders participating in competitive jumping or pivoting sports, the ultimate goal is to prevent all occurrences.

This summer, interested representatives of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, the National Athletic Trainers' Association, the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine collaborated on the planning of the work, which will involve any student-athlete sustaining a noncontact ACL injury during an NCAA-sponsored practice or game.

The injured student-athlete, if consenting to be part of the study, will be examined for several anatomic features concerning joint range of motion, physiological laxity and knee variables. For women, menstrual status, both present and past, will be reviewed. History of skill acquisition and prior involvement in the respective sport also will be profiled. Arendt is coordinating this portion of the study.

Dr. William Garrett of Duke University is coordinating a separate portion of the study in which videotapes of individual injuries that result in the tear of the ACL will be analyzed.

A second meeting is anticipated to be held during the AOSSM meeting in summer 1997. During this meeting, a group of athletic trainers and sports medicine physicians will be assembled to review, analyze and critique the data.

Ideally this profile will lead to a better understanding of the possible variables involved in noncontact ACL injuries for both men and women, with the ultimate goal being prevention of such injuries.

Dr. Elizabeth A. Arendt is from the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She can be called at 612/625-8627 or faxed at 612/626-6032.

Dr. William Garrett is an orthopedic surgeon at the Duke University Medical Center. He may be called at 919/684-6658.

Randall W. Dick is assistant director of sports sciences at the NCAA. To contact him, dial 913/339-1906 or fax at 913/339-0028.