Anatomic Alignment, Menstrual Cycle Phase, and the Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

I just found this article and it is very scientific and appears authentic. It discusses two factors related to ACL injuries in women athletes. Perhaps this is something to be mindful of as they approach high school age.

Anatomic Alignment, Menstrual Cycle Phase, and the

Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Bruce D. Beynnon, PhD*; Sandra J. Shultz, PhD, ATC, FNATA, FACSM

open the article with the pdf link below

PDF (125K)

from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2547857/

I know this is a topic which may be difficult for dads to discuss with their daughters but there is significant data which relates the extra risk to young women during the preovulatory phase of their cycle.

an excerpt

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MENSTRUAL CYCLE

PHASE AND THE RISK OF AN ANTERIOR CRUCIATE

LIGAMENT INJURY

"A consensus emerging from the literature suggests that the

likelihood of an ACL injury does not remain constant during

the menstrual cycle. Instead, the risk of an ACL disruption is

greater during the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle

than the postovulatory phase."

Do we as parents and coaches know this and inform our daughters so that they may be aware and be extra vigilant during this time?

I am discovering a lot of info, not all consistent but one thing is certain, young female athletes are at a much higher risk of knee injuries and there are multiple factors involved. This is one of those factors.