There was a 50% increase in the number of abstract submissions this year. In the end, 33 abstracts were accepted. These were grouped into sessions addressing structural, neuromuscular, biomechanical, and hormonal factors that may influence the gender bias in ACL injury in­cidence. It was interesting to note that the majority of abstracts submitted were in the area of neuromuscular and biomechanical factors, with only a few in the ar­eas of structural and hormonal factors. This suggests a trend in the research focus towards the more modifiable factors.  

The retreat was cohosted by Kentucky Sports Medicine and Drayer Physical Therapy Institute and sponsored by DonJoy, Aircast, Bluegrass Bracing, and Smith and Nephew. To accommodate the increase in number of high-quality abstracts, the meeting was ex­tended to 2 full days. The retreat was attended by both clinicians and scientists with a common interest in the ACL injury gender bias. The 60-plus participants in­cluded registrants from across the United States as well as Canada and Australia. As with the previous retreats, the group consisted of physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and scientists in the areas of biome­chanics, motor control, and neuromuscular function. Thirty percent of the participants in the 2006 retreat were participants in a previous retreat as well. 

The for­mat of the meeting included 1 keynote presentation per day, along with 15-minute podium presentations made by some of the participants. The keynote presenters were chosen for their scientific contribution to the un­derstanding of factors associated with the gender bias seen in the incidence of ACL injuries. Ton van den Bo­gert, PhD, from the Department of Biomedical Engi­neering at the Cleveland Clinic gave the first keynote titled "ACL Injuries: Do We Know the Mechanisms?" The second keynote presenter was William Garrett, MD, PhD, from the Department of Orthopedics at Duke University, whose talk was titled "Anterior Cruciate Lig­ament Injury Mechanisms and Risk Factors." Following all of the presentations, a consensus development ses­sion was held. In the pages of this supplement, you will find the consensus statement and an abstract on each of the 33 presentations made at the conference, organized by the topics listed above. 

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2007;37(2):A1-A32. doi:10.2519/jospt.2007.0301

KEY WORDS: anterior cruciate ligament, ACL injuries, gender 

This was the second research retreat focused on gender bias in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, the first having taken place in Lexington, KY in April 2001. The purpose of this second retreat was to revisit the factors thought to be associated with gender bias in ACL injuries and to update the consensus statement from 2001. The retreat was again cosponsored by Kentucky Sports Medicine and Joyner Sportsmedicine Institute and was attended by both clinicians and scientists with a common interest in the ACL injury gender bias. The 50-plus participants included registrants from across the United States as well as Canada, Australia, and Norway. As with the previous retreat, the group consisted of physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and scientists in the areas of biomechanics, motor control, and neuromuscular function. Thirty percent of the participants in the 2003 retreat were present for the first retreat as well. A call for abstracts for the retreat was announced in the summer of 2002. All abstracts were then peer reviewed for scientific merit and relevance to the retreat topic. In the end, 19 abstracts were accepted for podium presentations. These were grouped into sessions addressing structural, neuromuscular, biomechanical, and hormonal factors that may influence the gender bias in ACL injury incidence. In addition, a new session on intervention programs was included. The format of the meeting included 1 keynote presentation per day along with 20-minute podium presentations made by some of the participants. The keynote presenters were chosen for their scientific contribution to the understanding of factors associated with the gender bias seen in the incidence of ACL injuries. Bruce D. Beynnon, PhD, from the University of Vermont gave the first keynote titled "Risk Factors for Knee Ligament Trauma." The second keynote presenter was Braden C. Fleming, PhD, also from the University of Vermont, whose talk was titled "Biomechanics of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament." This supplement includes a consensus statement, a listing of the presentations and authors, and an abstract on each of the 19 presentations made at the conference, organized by the topics listed above.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2003;33(8):A1-A30.

Key Words: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), gender bias, intervention

Study Design: Cross-sectional. Objectives: To determine if females with anterior knee pain are more likely to demonstrate hip abduction or external rotation weakness than a similar, asymptomatic, age-matched control group. Background: Diminished hip strength has been implicated as being contributory to lower-extremity malalignment and patellofemoral pain. The identification of reliable and consistent patterns of weakness in this population may help health care professionals establish a more effective treatment plan. Methods and Measures: Hip abduction and external rotation isometric strength measurements were recorded for the injured side of 15 female subjects with patellofemoral joint pain (mean ± SD age, 15.7 ± 2.7 years; age range, 12-21 years). These were compared with strength measurements from the corresponding hip of 15 age-matched female control subjects (mean ± SD age, 15.7 ± 2.7 years; age range, 12-21 years). All strength measurements were made using hand-held dynamometers. Results: Subjects with patellofemoral pain demonstrated 26% less hip abduction strength (P<.001) and 36% less hip external rotation strength (P<.001) than similar age-matched controls. Conclusions: The results indicate that young women with patellofemoral pain are more likely to demonstrate weakness in hip abduction as well as external rotation than age-matched women who are not symptomatic.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2003;33(11):671-676.
 

Key Words: anterior knee pain, hip abduction, hip external rotation, knee, patella

Fatigue may be related to lower extremity injury. The effect of lower extremity fatigue on ground reaction force production, lower extremity kinematics, and muscle activation during the landing phase of a run and rapid stop was investigated. Subjects were 19 female, Division 1 collegiate basketball and volleyball players (x¯ age = 20.8 ± 1.8 years, x¯ weight = 71.7 ± 6.9 kg, x¯ height = 174 ± 5 cm). Dominant leg ground reaction and muscle activation data were sampled at 2,000 Hz. Lower extremity kinematic data were sampled at 200 Hz, and 3-dimensional analysis was performed. Knee extensor/flexor muscle activation tended to be delayed during fatigue (p=.08). Maximum knee flexion tended to occur earlier during fatigue (p=.09). Step-wise multiple regression suggested that the knee may be the primary site of force attenuation following fatigue. During fatigue, biodynamical compensations in the mechanical properties of the knee extensor musculature, as evidenced by differences in knee kinematics and muscle activation times, may occur to enhance knee stability.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1994;20(3):132-137.

Key Words: run and rapid stop, muscle action, biodynamics