Differences between female and male ACL

Understanding the increased risk of ACL tears in females and the longer recovery time is important in order to be able to provide support when needed. ACL rupture recovery is more than just a physical recovery it is also a mental one. In an article “Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture: Differences Between Males and Females” Karen M. Sutton, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, highlights the important statistic that female athletes are three times more likely to have ACL ruptures compared to males. Dr. Sutton also highlights the importance of the anatomy difference between females and males ACL as a big contributor as to why females have a higher percentage of tearing their ACL. Also in an article, “A Greater Reduction of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Elasticity in Women Compared to Men as a Result of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness,” Hanuel Lee, Jerrold S. Petrofsky, Michael Laymon, and JongEun Yim conducted an experiment and used their results to talk about how gender differences likely are a contributing factor as to why females have a higher probability of tearing their ACL’s compared to males. By looking over all the information told by doctors we can better understand the factors that are influencing ACL tears and recovery. This way we can be able to provide better support to those around us that need it. By utilizing ethos and logos the authors are able to use cause and effect to explain how the anatomy differences can cause ACL injuries.

In both articles written by Sutton and Lee et al. uses logos by utilizing factual evidence to support their reasonings as to how the differences between female and male anatomy affects how

easily one could tear their ACL. Karen M. Sutton says  “Intrinsic factors such as increased quadriceps angle and increased posterior tibial slope may predispose girls and women to injury.” (Sutton). Sutton backs up her reasoning with actual facts by saying that females have an increased quadricep angle which causes females to be more prone to injuries. Lee et al wrote “Women’s ACL elasticity and muscle strength are influenced by their reproductive hormones and there are differences in DOMS between men and women” (Lee et al). Lee et al did an experiment to compare the change of ACL elasticity between male and females before and after an intense workout. Females had a greater reduction in ACL elasticity compared to males.

Both authors utilize ethos to make their information be more credible to the audience. Karen M. Sutton MD is a board certified sports medicine surgeon, she has done her fair share of research and she has given over 80 presentations on the ACL reconstruction. Which only further proves her credibility to speak on this topic. Hanuel Lee, Jerrold S. Petrofsky, Michael Laymon, and JongEun Yim wrote the article “A Greater Reduction of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Elasticity in Women Compared to Men as a Result of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness,”. Their article has details from the ACL elasticity experiment they conducted on females and males. They found that female ACL elasticity was lowered significantly after an intense exercise which just means it would take females longer to recover from an injury or muscle soreness. The three of them study under the department of physical therapy as well. Their article was written as data that they collected. Both articles use cause and effect to show how the differences in anatomy between female and male causes females to have a higher chance of tearing their ACL. Lee et al’s article says “The reason might be the hormones, and they play an important role in regulating muscle mass, which may contribute to slower recovery times in women.” (Lee). If hormones cause

females muscles to recover slower then that means when we tear our ACL we also recover slower from surgery because ACL reconstruction is all muscle unless your bones were injured as well but in most cases it’s just your muscle. This means due to female hormones sometimes females would need a longer recovery time compared to men. Sutton says “Female athletes who land with the knees in inadequate flexion and in greater-than-normal valgus and external rotation are at increased risk of ACL injury.” (Sutton). Sutton is saying that females usually land in a position where their legs aren’t landing in the safest way. Landing incorrectly could easily result in injury so the cause and effect here is bad landings and positions can cause injuries. 

Understanding that ACL ruptures happen more often with females rather than males and that females may need extra time to recover is something important to take note of. Regardless of male or female recovery from ACL reconstruction should NOT be rushed at all in order to ensure one fully recovers properly.  The authors for both articles use ethos and logos to help support their reasoning as to why females take longer to recover and why ACL ruptures happen more in females. Both authors incorporated the use of cause and effect to explain how when one lands differently and when females just have different proportions with their muscles it just  predisposes them to these types of injuries.