More Work to Do
These results are tantalizing, but more work is required.
Aside from hormonal levels, current research is also pointing to differences in landing biomechanics and neuromuscular control. Women have a greater valgus angle in their knees. And, female athletes commonly land after a jump with the knee in a straight position putting a lot of force on the knee joint. Male athletes, on the other hand, commonly land with their knees bent.
Additionally, when it comes to neuromuscular control, women have difficulty keeping their knees in a stiff position because of increased anterior tibial laxity.
And then of course there is the 2018 Duke University study “Determination of the Position of the Knee at the Time of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture for Male Versus Female Patients by an Analysis of Bone Bruises,” published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine which suggests that there are actually no gender differences at all in how ACL injuries occur.
The Duke researchers used MRI scans from within a month of the injury to study bone bruises on the knees. They then with the help of 3-D modeling recreated the position of the knee at the time of the injury. Their results showed that knee position was similar in both the male and female athletes.
So, more work to do, for sure.
