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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Dahm and her colleagues studied 18 female athletes ranging in age from 16 to 40. All were fairly active and involved in some sort of exercise, although not necessarily an organized sport. The researchers chose age 40 as the cutoff to eliminate any patients who might have osteoporosis related to early menopause.
After undergoing ACL reconstruction, the women participated in a rehabilitation program that involved routine visits with physical therapists and sports psychologists.
Before surgery, there were no significant differences in bone density between the injured and uninjured legs. Three months after surgery, however, the researchers found striking differences in bone density between the injured limb and the unaffected one. While there were improvements in the women's injured limbs over two years, "they did not get back to completely normal," Dahm observed.
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Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland, president of the Kentucky Sports Medicine Clinic in Lexington, noted that the study involved a small number of patients, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.
Ireland does about 100 ACL surgeries a year, and sometimes, she noted, "the bone on the involved side doesn't look as healthy." Still, she hasn't taken bone-density measurements or followed these patients to document their long-term outcomes.
Another expert questioned whether this study proves that bone loss after ACL surgery is a women's issue, in particular.
"Did they do the same study in men? asked Dr. Christopher D. Harner, professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "If not, how do they know this is a gender issue?"
Given the incidence of ACL injuries among women, orthopedists urge women athletes to take steps to prevent ligament tears from occurring. The AAOS recommends year-round training and conditioning, including strength training and practicing performing proper landing and cutting maneuvers.
One other bit of advice for the weekend warrior: "Make sure you're ready to do that sport," Ireland cautioned. "I see a lot of women in their 30s and 40s, who haven't been that active, go out and ski and tear their ACL."
More information
The AAOS has more on the ACL and preventing injuries.
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