Anatomical and Neuromuscular Factors Associated to Non-Contact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Abstract

The majority of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur during non-contact mechanisms. Knowledge of the risk factors would be relevant to help prevent athletes’ injuries. We aimed to study risk factors associated with non-contact ACL injuries in a population of athletes after ACL reconstruction. From a cohort of 307 athletes, two populations were compared according to the non-contact or contact mechanism of ACL injury. Gender, age and body mass index (BMI) were reported. Passive knee alignment (valgus and extension), knee laxity (KT-1000 test), and isokinetic knee strength were measured on the non-injured limb. The relationship between these factors and the non-contact sport mechanism was established with models using logistic regression analysis for the population and after selection of gender and cut-offs of age, BMI and knee laxity calculated from Receiver Operating Characteristics curve area and Youden index. Age, BMI, antero-posterior laxity, isokinetic knee strength, passive knee valgus and passive knee extension were associated with non-contact ACL injury. According to the multivariate model, a non-contact ACL injury was associated with non-modifiable factors, age (OR: 1.05; p = 0.001), passive knee extension (OR: 1.14; p = 0.001), and with one modifiable factor (Hamstring strength: OR: 0.27; p = 0.01). For women, only passive knee valgus was reported (OR: 1.27; p = 0.01). Age, passive knee extension and weak Hamstring strength were associated with a non-contact ACL injury. Hamstring strengthening could be proposed to prevent ACL injury in young male athletes or in case of knee laxity.