Mechanism of non-contact ACL injury

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures significantly impact athletes in terms of return to play and loss of long-term quality of life. Before the onset of this study, understanding the mechanism of ACL injury was limited. Thus, the primary focus of this manuscript is to describe our multi-faceted approach to uncovering the mechanism of noncontact ACL injury (NC-ACLI) with the goal of developing preventive strategies. The initial qualitative analysis of ACL injury events revealed most (70%) injuries involve minimal to no contact and occurr during landing or deceleration maneuvers in team sports with a minor perturbation before the injury that may disrupt the neuromuscular system leading to poor body dynamics. A series of quantitative videotape studies demonstrated differences in leg and trunk positions at the time of NC-ACLI in comparison to control subjects. Analysis of the faulty dynamics provoking NC-ACLI, especially the flat-footed landing component, supports the theory that an axial compressive force is the critical factor responsible for NC-ACLI. Our magnetic resonance imaging study demonstrated the NC-ACLI position was associated with a higher tibial slope, and joint contact occurring on the flat, anterior portion of the lateral femoral condyle versus the round, posterior aspect. Both anatomic conditions favor sliding (pivot shift) over rolling in the presence of an axial compressive force. Subsequent cadaveric studies supported axial compressive forces as the primary component of NC-ACLI. Both a strong eccentric quadriceps contraction and knee abduction moments may increase the compressive force at the joint thereby lowering the axial threshold to injury. This manuscript summarizes the NC-ACLI mechanism portion of the 2021 OREF Clinical Research Award.