CRISIS

ACL INJURIES CHANGE LIVES AND THREATEN FUTURES

An ACL injury involves a rupture of the ligament connecting the shin and thigh bones. The injury calls for major surgery, which carries high healthcare costs, risk of financial burden, a difficult recovery, long-term knee pain, and serious risk of knee replacement. Many do not return to their sport.

  • Most injuries require major surgery
    3 in 4 ACL injuries required reconstructive surgery, including 83% among girls.

  • A long recovery and psychological toll
    Surgery recovery takes 9-12 months, during which time youth face significant mental health challenges, including symptoms of depression and fear of re-injury.

  • High healthcare costs and financial burden
    While individual surgery costs $9,400, total lifetime costs exceed $38,000. Costs are even higher ($88,000) for those who receive non-operative treatment. Following surgery, 58% of families face significant financial burden, due mainly to the cost of physical therapy.

  • High likelihood of dropout
    Nearly half of those injured do not return to competitive levels of sport, with high school athletes dropping out due to the uncertainty of a full recovery. As many as 62% of competitive female athletes may drop out within two years.

  • Long-term knee pain and future knee replacement
    Half of youth who undergo surgery to repair their ACL will develop osteoarthritis (OA) within 20 years. Those injured are also seven times more likely to experience end-stage OA, requiring knee replacement.

TEEN KNEE INJURIES RISE 26%

The trend in high school sports is not good: ACL injuries among high school athletes have grown 26% over the past 15 years, according to new research developed by leading organizations in the National ACL Injury Coalition. Read our report.

WHO IS MOST VULNERABLE?

Outside of football, the vast majority of ACL injuries do not involve physical contact. Instead, these non-contact ACL injuries happen during sudden changes of direction or speed, such as when slowing down, stopping abruptly or landing from a jump. Who is most vulnerable? Research demonstrates a strong connection between non-contact ACL injury and widespread but improvable deficits in lower body strength and control.

  • Women & girls. At the high school level, ACL injury rates are four times higher for girls than boys in sex-comparable sports (soccer, basketball, baseball/softball). 58% of girls’ ACL injuries were non-contact, compared to 40% of boys’.

  • Agility sports Adolescents playing team sports that require sudden change of speed or direction face most risk of non-contact ACL injury, such as soccer, basketball, lacrosse and football.

  • Previously injured athletes. Sport participants who underwent ACL surgery were six times more likely to suffer an ACL injury within two years.

  • Underserved youth
    Families in underserved communities face disparities in access to injury prevention and health care, especially athletic trainers and health insurance. When injured, underserved youth experience more delays in time to surgery and financial burden that affects access to physical therapy for recovery.