Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 21, 2026
Author Spotlight: Implementing the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Concept in Rehabilitation Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Published on: March 1, 2024
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) loading in a collegiate athlete during sidestep cutting after ACL reconstruction: A
Michael A Samaan1, Stacie I Ringleb2, Sebastian Y Bawab2
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, 238 Kaufman Hall, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, 185 Berry Street, Lobby 6, Suite 350, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.
Background:
Athletes with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries usually undergo ACL-reconstruction (ACLR) in order to restore joint stability, so that dynamic maneuvers such as the sidestep cut can be performed. Despite restoration of joint stability after ACLR, many athletes do not return to pre-injury levels and may be at a high risk of a second ACL injury. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not ACL loading, would increase after ACLR.
Methods:
One female Division I collegiate athlete performed bilateral unanticipated sidestep cuts both before ACL injury and 27months after ACLR. Musculoskeletal simulations were used to calculate ACL loading during the deceleration phase of the sidestep cuts.
Results:
Twenty-seven months after ACLR, the athlete demonstrated higher total ACL loading in the ipsilateral limb as well as altered joint kinematics, moments, and quadriceps muscle force production. In the contralateral limb, there were no increases in total ACL loading or muscle force production yet altered lower extremity joint kinematics and moments were present after ACLR.
Conclusions:
Higher total ACL loading in the ipsilateral limb of this athlete may suggest an increased risk of second ACL injury. The results of this study provide an initial step in understanding the effects of ACLR on the risk of second ACL injury in an elite athlete and suggest that it is important to develop a better understanding of this surgical intervention on knee joint loading, in order to reduce the risk of second ACL injury while performing dynamic maneuvers.
More Related Videos
06:27Author Spotlight: Investigating Early Events and Long-Term Effects of ACL Injuries for Osteoarthritis Progression
Published on: September 29, 2023
06:28Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection and Synovial Fluid Lavage in a Rodent Model to Study Joint Inflammation and Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis
Published on: September 2, 2025