Dr. Mandelbaum says correcting deficiencies is part of recovery process to prevent re-injury.
Article Link: ACL injuries are more common in women than men. The hardest part? Dealing with the emotional aftermath.
Few acronyms strike fear in the hearts of athletes like “ACL.” An injury to this crucial ligament in the knee joint can be devastating, causing athletic setbacks of a year or more. JuJu Watkins, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Lindsey Vonn have all suffered ACL tears in their careers. But while ACL injuries that happen to major athletes make headlines, everyday women struggle with them too — and like professional athletes, these injuries can be life-altering.
Women have an “alarmingly higher rate” of ACL injuries — up to an eight times greater risk than men — and doctors say there are a few reasons for that.
Women’s knees are also typically in more of what’s called a valgus position than men due to having a wider pelvis, which causes the knees to point inward, usually when they jump and land.
Recovery from an ACL injury is “a process,” Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles, tells Yahoo Life. “You’re not only going through rehab, but you’re getting used to a new lifestyle of correcting and strengthening deficiencies that may have been there before the injury.”
