Do Oral Contraceptives Alter Knee Ligament Damage with Heavy Exercise?

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Orthopedics
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Hormonal fluctuations, like estradiol, impact connective tissue, increasing women's susceptibility to knee injuries.
• Women exhibit a higher risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries compared to men in similar sports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) on ACL laxity in young women post-exercise.
• To compare ACL laxity and pain perception between OCP users and non-users after eccentric lower limb exercise.

Main Methods:

• Forty young, healthy women (15 OCP users, 25 non-users) underwent squat exercises.
• ACL laxity and visual analog pain scale were measured before and after exercise, with follow-up assessments.

Main Results:

• OCP users reported significantly higher post-exercise pain (p < 0.001).
• Both groups showed reduced ACL laxity on day 2 post-exercise (p < 0.05).
• No significant difference in the percentage change or recovery of ACL laxity was observed between groups.

Conclusions:

• While OCP users exhibit less baseline ACL laxity, the recovery response to exercise-induced muscle soreness is similar to non-users.
• Health professionals should note that OCP users' reduced ACL laxity may indicate increased knee injury risk due to stiffness during exercise.