Sex-Based Differences in Knee Kinetics With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Strain on Cadaveric Impact Simulations:

Background:Females are at an increased risk of sustaining noncontact knee ligament injuries as compared with their male counterparts. The kinetics that load the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are still under dispute in the literature.Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences in knee kinetics between the sexes that lead to greater ACL strain in females when similar external loads are applied during a simulated drop vertical jump landing task. It was hypothesized that female limbs would demonstrate significant differences in knee abduction moment that predispose females to ACL injury when compared with males.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Motion analysis data of 67 athletes who performed a drop vertical jump were collected. The kinematic and kinetic data were used to categorize tertiles of relative risk, and these values were input into a cadaveric impact simulator to assess ligamentous loads during the simulated landing task. Uni- and mu...