Spain records around 20,000 anterior cruciate ligament injuries each year

The EUEF San Juan de Dios - Comillas launches a new episode of its podcast Comillas Takes Care of You, where Raúl Coto, physiotherapist and professor at this School, talks about the importance of the anterior cruciate ligament.

Despite advances in prevention and treatment, the number of injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament continues to increase, especially among young people under 25 years of age, with a 4% increase every year.

Furthermore, this injury can mean an athlete is off work for an average of 218 days, which can lead to the end of their career. Female athletes are also more likely to suffer from it, up to six times more than men.

How and why does a cruciate ligament tear occur?

The anterior cruciate ligament is located in the knee and prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur.

The rupture can be caused by direct or indirect trauma. In the case of direct trauma, it can be caused by a blow to the knee and, in the case of indirect trauma, by a blow to another area that can put stress on the knee.

According to Raúl Coto, the most common thing in sports such as basketball or football is for these non-contact injuries to occur, in which they are caused according to the position in which the athlete is in. The injury suffered by Carolina Marín during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was of the latter type.

In addition, as a curious fact, the professor points out that in order for the internal cruciate ligament to rupture, it must be subjected to around 216 kilos of force.

Why do women suffer more from this injury?

Raúl Coto points out that 35% of women who have an anterior cruciate ligament injury are likely to have to have a knee replacement before the age of 50.

He also states that, during the ovulation period, sportswomen are three times more likely to injure the anterior cruciate ligament, due to a decrease in the concentration of type 1 collagen, which provides load-bearing capacity to the ligament.

On the other hand, from a socio-economic point of view, she stresses that female athletes are not exercising in the same conditions as male athletes. The playing fields, gyms and facilities are worse in the case of women, so their physical preparation is going to be more deficient and they can suffer this injury more easily.

How can this injury be prevented? 

In this type of pathology, there is no such thing as a zero risk or total prevention. However, to avoid it, Raúl Coto stresses that the best prevention consists of good rest, good nutrition and hydration and doing strength work.

You can listen to the whole episode  here