We are just months away from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but ACL injuries threaten to wipe out some of the world’s best players, but why are these injuries so common among female footballers, and is enough being done to protect them?
More than 20 of the world’s best female footballers have succumbed to ACL injuries in 18 months, including some of the players we were hoping to see playing for the Matildas come July.
The list of players out with ACL injuries is too long to name in full, but includes the likes of Beth Mead, Marta, and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, just to name a few.
Which Australian players have suffered ACL injuries recently?
Australian players Ellie Carpenter and Holly McNamara are set to return to the Matildas squad for their April friendly — both for the first time since their ACL injuries last year.
Chloe Logarzo — who recently returned to Western United in the Liberty A-League — is also working her way back from an ACL injury from September 2021. While she has returned to playing, she has struggled to play a full 90 and has battled more injuries since the dreaded ACL.
Additionally, Matildas forward Kyah Simon is out with her second ACL injury in a decade, throwing her World Cup hopes into question.
Meanwhile, Elise Kellond-Knight — who only just returned from an ACL injury last November, is now out of contention with a ruptured Achilles.
But with ACLs ripping through the league seemingly every week, and the countdown to the Women’s World Cup not stopping, it’s time we dive into why these injuries plague women’s football like this.
Why are ACL injuries so common in female athletes?
According to the research, women are between two and eight times more likely to sustain ACL injuries than male athletes — and that’s before you introduce the inherent risk of playing football into the equation.
But while we can agree that women are at an increased risk, the jury is still out on why exactly this is, and how to fix it.
The issue was first researched back in the 1990s and since then, the general consensus has been that biological differences — a wider pelvis, less muscle mass around the knee, and how women generally land after jumping, among other factors — play a big part in it.
Hormones are also believed to be a big determining factor, with extensive research being done into the impact of menstrual cycles and hormonal contraception on ACL injuries. While it was initially hypothesised that birth control could help mitigate risk, recent evidence refutes this claim.
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Is enough being done to prevent it?
While the jury is still out when it comes to exactly what causes women to be more likely to sustain these injuries, the one thing most can seemingly agree on is that more needs to be done to mitigate the risk.
For example, football boots are still designed for male players, so it has been suggested that female-focused shoes that offer to support to their different needs could be helpful.
Additionally, further funding for medical experts and coaches to develop prevention measures, as well as research into the injury would be a step in the right direction.
