Researchers associated with Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Ohio State University have been attempting to determine the risk factors for A.C.L injuries. While performing their research, they began to find indications that led them to wonder if familial predisposition influences one's risk for an A.C.L tear. For example, when they examined a set of athletic twin girls with A.C.L tears, it appeared that both had characteristics that are considered major risk factors for the injury-- “unusually loose, flexible knee joints,... angled at least one knee outward during landings and had narrower-than-average notches in the knee bone, where the A.C.L. attaches to the bone”. Not only this, but their own father also had torn his A.C.L., along with both his triplet brothers. This examination as well as others has helped to demonstrate that these attributes may indeed run in the family.
Because of findings such as these, research has been conducted to find the "genetics of weak knees". There have been several studies done in the past year that have found several genes that seem to be related to A.C.L. tears. One experiment produced by researchers at the University of Cape Town in South Africa “found that the women who had torn their A.C.L.’s were significantly more likely to share a specific variation in one of their genes”. The gene is known to affect the elasticity of collagen and connective tissue in tendons and ligaments (like the A.C.L.). Another study by the same group of scientists also showed an irregularity on a different gene that also affects the structure of collagen.
These discoveries are now leading scientists to consider the future possibility of DNA screenings for athletes to assess their potential risk for certain injuries, such as the A.C.L. tear. While this may produce benefits for the athlete, it also raises a lot of questions, such as “What advice do you give a young woman athlete whose genetic test shows that her knee is extremely vulnerable?” particularly since no A.C.L. injury prevention program has been entirely successful. Perhaps with more time and more research, a direct link between genetics and A.C.L. tears can be found and questions such as these may be answered.
What an A.C.L. tear looks like:
This blog immediately caught my eye because I tore my A.C.L. about two years ago, and both of my parents have had issues with their knees. I am interested to see if future research will provide a link between genetics and A.C.L. tears so that injury prevention programs may become successful.
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