Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Soccer players who suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rarely wear a protective knee brace when returning to sport, even when the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) rules allow the use of protective braces to be worn if padding is covering the brace. And players who return from ACL reconstruction (ACLR) surgery are at a higher risk of suffering another ACL injury. If soccer players appear to be at an increased risk of injury and protective knee braces can be worn, then why do players not wear a brace? One reason for players not wearing a knee brace may be because wearing a brace may impair the players potential performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study aims to identify if soccer specific performance-related differences exist between soccer players who have undergone ACLR and wear a knee brace, compared to soccer players who have undergone ACLR and do not wear a knee brace, compared to a healthy population. Soccer performance will be measured via kicking force by having participant's kick a soccer ball at a net with their injured leg, agility test performance will be measured by how fast participants can complete the test, and electromyography (EMG) will be recorded for both the kicking and agility test. The EMG readings will be measuring the quadriceps muscle group and the hamstring muscle group. Participants' performance level may vary ranging from recreational to professional. The results from this study can be applied to real-world scenarios, to see if performance-related differences exist by wearing a protective knee brace and if players can wear a knee brace without a decrease in performance.