Effects of Pubertal Maturation on ACL Forces During a Landing Task in Females

Abstract

Background: Rates of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in young people have increased by >70% over the past two decades. Adolescent and young adult females are at higher risk of ACL injury as compared with their prepubertal counterparts. Purpose: To determine ACL loading during a standardized drop-land-lateral jump in females at different stages of pubertal maturation. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: On the basis of the Tanner classification system, 19 pre-, 19 early-/mid-, and 24 late-/postpubertal females performed a standardized drop-land-lateral jump while 3-dimensional body motion, ground-reaction forces, and surface electromyography data were acquired. These ..