Pediatric and Adolescent Knee Injuries

Injury Prevention in Youth Male and Female Floorball Players : Effects, Compliance, and Experiences of the Knee Control Programme

“…Risk factors can be divided into internal factors (age, sex, neuromuscular control, muscle strength, and previous injury) and external factors (e.g., coaching, rules, and shoe-surface friction) to which players can be exposed 34 . Risk factors can also be divided into modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors; i.e., whether the risk factor can be controlled/changed or not 35 . Risk factors for common acute ball sport injuries such as hamstring injury include: older age, increased quadriceps peak torque, and previous injury 36 ; and for ankle sprain, high body mass index, slow eccentric inversion strength, fast concentric plantar flexion strength, and insufficient proprioception 37 .…”

“…Previous studies in youth team sports showed that less lower extremity strength, poor endurance, lack of preseason preparation and high workload in relation to recovery time, are potential modifiable risk factors 12,41 . Sex-related differences in injury risk between male and female players are believed to be related to differences in anatomical, hormonal, and neuromuscular factors 35 . It is believed that females experience neuromuscular lag during adolescent growth spurt, which means that power, strength, and coordination lag are not synchronised as in males 35 .…”

“…Sex-related differences in injury risk between male and female players are believed to be related to differences in anatomical, hormonal, and neuromuscular factors 35 . It is believed that females experience neuromuscular lag during adolescent growth spurt, which means that power, strength, and coordination lag are not synchronised as in males 35 . Higher dynamic knee loads and hip strength deficit can increase risk of the gradual onset injury; patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and can include explanations as to why PFPS are more common in female players 42 .…”

“…The most significant non-modifiable risk factor to sustain an acute or gradual onset injury is previous injury 12,29,35,52 , therefore it is important to prevent injuries at an early age before the first injury occurs.…”

Sex differences in musculoskeletal injury and disease risks across the lifespan: Are there unique subsets of females at higher risk than males for these conditions at distinct stages of the life cycle?

“…Given the serious impact such ACL injuries have on the patients, and the sex differences, considerable effort has gone into understanding the risk factors for such injuries ( Barber-Westin et al, 2009 ; Lawra et al, 2021 ; Maniar et al, 2022 )and potential prevention strategies ( Myklebust et al, 2007 ; Brophy et al, 2010 ; Sadoghi et al, 2012 ; Myklebust et al, 2013 ; Emery et al, 2015 ; Zebis et al, 2016 ; Butler et al, 2022 ; Mattu et al, 2022 ; Weingart et al, 2022 ) to diminish the number of such injuries particularly in females. Some neuromuscular training programs to address muscle imbalances were proven to have significant impact in reducing ACL injuries in Norwegian female handball players, but uptake outside of clinical trials is often low and even when successful in a controlled setting, may not be embraced by the general population ( Myklebust et al, 2013 ).…”