Did you know that female football players are up to eight times more likely to suffer from an ACL than their male counterparts?
On May 1st, Arsenal defender Laura Weinroither became the club’s fourth player to suffer from an ACL rupture this season.
During the Gunner’s second-leg defeat against Wolfsburg, the 24-year-old had to be stretchered off after coming on for only 18 minutes.
Unfortunately, she joins the already long line of ACL injuries at Arsenal which includes England captain Leah Williamson, Euro 2022 player of the tournament Beth Mead and prolific Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema.
But why is this such a regular occurrence in the women’s game?
Firstly, let’s understand what an ACL injury actually is.
The ACL is one of the four main ligaments that stabilise the knee joint. It connects the thighbone (femur) to the shinbone (tibia) and helps to prevent the tibia from moving too far forward relative to the femur. An ACL injury occurs when the ligament is stretched or torn, which can happen during sudden changes in direction, landing from a jump or a collision with another player.
There are several reasons as to why they can happen, but the main problems surround the differences in anatomy, biomechanics, and hormones.
Anatomy plays a significant role in ACL injuries. The size and shape of the female pelvis can affect the alignment of the knee joint, leading to an increased risk of injury. Women also tend to have a narrower intercondylar notch (the space in the knee where the ACL is located), which can make the ligament more vulnerable to injury.
Biomechanics also play a huge role in ACL injuries as female football players tend to have weaker hamstrings, which then puts more stress on the ACL. Since women tend to have a more upright posture, this then leads to an increased risk of landing with the knee in a vulnerable position.
Additionally, it has been said that the menstrual cycle plays a part in why females are more susceptible to ACL ruptures. Estrogen is a hormone that is more prevalent in women and that therefore affects ligament strength and elasticity, making women more likely to get injured.
So, not only the fact that females are already at a disadvantage when playing football, when looking from the perspective of anatomy, it’s like science is also telling them to stop.
Well, what needs to be done to prevent this from happening so often?
Research, research, research.
ACL injuries can be painful and debilitating for female football players. However, with proper training, conditioning, and injury prevention programs, these injuries can be prevented to a certain extent. It is essential to create awareness and educate female football players about the causes, symptoms, and prevention of ACL injuries to ensure their safety and well-being on and off the pitch.
Some approaches say to focus on strengthening the muscles around the knee joint, including the hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes. They say that strengthening these muscles can help to stabilise the knee joint and reduce the risk of injury.
Another approach is to work on improving biomechanics. This can include improving jumping and landing techniques, as well as working on changing direction more efficiently which is one of the main causes of an ACL tear. Proper technique can help to reduce the stress placed on the ACL and reduce the risk of injury.
Additionally, sports scientists have claimed that the design of football boots may be putting female footballers at risk. From the way they run to the shape of their feet, boots can cause stress fractures and blisters.
The length of studs also proves to be a big issue as they’ve been designed around the way male footballers move, which only increases women’s risk of getting their boots stuck in the surface.
Whether it’s changes in coaching or more research through sports sciences, resources are needed to develop female footballers because the highest level in the game doesn’t reach up to a small fraction of the people who work in and around the men’s game.
As women’s football is on the rise like never before, especially after the Euro’s tournament last summer, funding and research around ACL injuries should be a requirement in the hope that both players and clubs can be released from this huge burden.