The relationship of menstruation and the risks of ACL tears on female adolescent athletes
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Fredrick Gardin
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 9:00 AM
End Date
25-4-2025 9:59 AM
Description
Purpose: The purpose of this systematic narrative review is to investigate the relationship menstruation has on ACL tears and how hormonal changes can increase risk of injury in female adolescent athletes. Background: ACL injuries are among the most common knee injuries in athletes. Women are more at risk of ACL injuries then men feasibly due to hormones. Cycle phases can have an effect on ligament laxity which in turn may increase the risk of an ACL tear. ACL tears happen more often during the follicular and ovulatory phases, where the change of estrogen is at its highest. This brings up the conversation if oral contraceptives will lower the risk of ACL injuries. Understanding the relationship between menstrual cycles and ACL injuries may help prevent the occurrence in female athletes. Methods: A computerized search was completed using Pubmed and Google Scholar. Search criteria included articles within 10 years, full text, and PDF access. Keywords included female athletes, ACL injuries, menstruation cycle, and hormones. Results: Results showed women who showed hyperextension of the knee had significantly higher knee laxity levels in the ovulation phase compared to the early follicular phase. The use of oral contraceptives decreases ACL laxity. Conclusions: Women may have increase laxity during the ovulation phase, due to increase in estrogen levels. The ovulation phase may be related to the greater incidence of ACL injuries in women. Oral contraceptives may serve a therapeutic role in decreasing ACL injury rates in women. Further investigation is still warranted.
The relationship of menstruation and the risks of ACL tears on female adolescent athletes
Purpose: The purpose of this systematic narrative review is to investigate the relationship menstruation has on ACL tears and how hormonal changes can increase risk of injury in female adolescent athletes. Background: ACL injuries are among the most common knee injuries in athletes. Women are more at risk of ACL injuries then men feasibly due to hormones. Cycle phases can have an effect on ligament laxity which in turn may increase the risk of an ACL tear. ACL tears happen more often during the follicular and ovulatory phases, where the change of estrogen is at its highest. This brings up the conversation if oral contraceptives will lower the risk of ACL injuries. Understanding the relationship between menstrual cycles and ACL injuries may help prevent the occurrence in female athletes. Methods: A computerized search was completed using Pubmed and Google Scholar. Search criteria included articles within 10 years, full text, and PDF access. Keywords included female athletes, ACL injuries, menstruation cycle, and hormones. Results: Results showed women who showed hyperextension of the knee had significantly higher knee laxity levels in the ovulation phase compared to the early follicular phase. The use of oral contraceptives decreases ACL laxity. Conclusions: Women may have increase laxity during the ovulation phase, due to increase in estrogen levels. The ovulation phase may be related to the greater incidence of ACL injuries in women. Oral contraceptives may serve a therapeutic role in decreasing ACL injury rates in women. Further investigation is still warranted.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.