FEATURE / Dr Athol Thomson

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in football players carries a high burden for the player, club, and medical team (Bahr et al.,
2018, Hägglund et al., 2013, Walden et al., 2016). Players returning from an ACL injury are at a greater risk of re-injury (Walden et al., 2006). Consequently, initiatives to minimise primary and/or subsequent re-injury risk are paramount.

85% of ACL injuries analysed in a cohort of professional male football players occurred in non-contact or indirect contact mechanisms 100 (Walden et al., 2015). Whilst mechanisms underlying lower extremity injury are undoubtedly multifaceted and complex (Bahr & Holme., 2003), modifiable risk factors such as playing surface conditions or football boots selection warrant further attention. What do players think?

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