Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Recent studies have demonstrated that females, ages 14-38, are more likely to sustain non-contact ACL injuries compared to their male counterparts. With an injury to the ACL comes the increased likelihood of developing early onset knee osteoarthritis (OA). Non-contact ACL injuries are occurring quite frequently, with approximately 300 000 being reported annually in Canada and the United States, resulting in a large toll on not only athletes, but the medical system. There is currently a gap in the literature related to non-contact ACL injuries, with no research focusing on youth populations (under the age of 12), where there is no sex-bias present in ACL injuries. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by determining whether sex differences in muscle activation patterns exist in a youth population, while performing unanticipated side-cut maneuvers, a movement often associated with non-contact ACL injuries. This research will provide critical insight into non-contact ACL injury mechanisms by investigating characteristics in a population where ACL injuries rarely occur and no sex-bias is present. In addition, it will be possible to use the results of this study with previous data to evaluate how age affects (1) muscle activation control at the knee joint and (2) furthering our understanding of the risks associated with sustaining a non-contact ACL injury. It is imperative that we fully understand the roles and the influences an individual's sex and age have on the muscle activation patterns controlling the knee joint. Furthermore, this information will contribute to improving injury prevention programs aimed at reducing the rate of non-contact ACL injuries in young healthy athletes and help reduce the risk of early onset knee OA among healthy, active Canadians.