A Critical Analysis of the Factors Contributing to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanisms and existing literature without new data or systematic methodology.
PubMed 39513086 · doi:10.26502/josm.511500163
What was done
This narrative review synthesized published literature examining the anatomical, physiological, and biomechanical factors contributing to higher anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rates among female athletes.
What was found
The abstract provides no quantitative metrics, effect sizes, or statistical figures. It qualitatively summarizes contributing factors: anatomical features (wider pelvis, increased quadriceps angle, steeper tibial slopes), physiological influences (hormonal fluctuations, greater ligament laxity), and biomechanical variables (reduced knee flexion, increased knee valgus, altered muscle activation patterns).
Why it matters
It outlines the multifactorial framework of female ACL vulnerability, helping guide targeted prevention strategies and neuromuscular training.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative overview rather than a systematic review with meta-analysis. No sample size, inclusion criteria, or quantitative risk estimates are reported, and it contains no original human data.