ORIGINAL ARTICLE  SPORT INJURIES AND REHABILITATION 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2018 January-February;58(1-2):92-7

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.16.06731-1

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Anterior cruciate ligament injury profile in Italian Serie A1-A2 women’s volleyball league

Francesca DEVETAG ¹, Massimiliano MAZZILLI ², Roberto BENIS ³, Antonio LA TORRE ³, Matteo BONATO ³ ✉

¹ Department of Public Health, Neuroscience, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; ² School of Sport Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; ³ Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess how anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures with subsequent surgery reconstruction impact on the professional career of A1-A2 Italian women’s volleyball league players.
METHODS: Using an observational study with a retrospective case-series design for ACL ruptures, 125 teams with 1488 players were monitored. Subjects had to report level, role, injury modality, lower limb injured, laterality, period of the season and age.
RESULTS: A total of 34 ACL ruptures were reported. Thirty-three (97%) were non-contact and 1 (3%) with contact. Twenty-one (61.7%) occurred in landing from a jump attack, 3 (8.8%) in landing from wall jump, 1 (3%) with apparent contact and 9 (26.5%) in other landing conditions. The most injured knee was the left limb (22, 64.7%) respect to the right limb (12, 35.3%). Fourteen (41.2%) ruptures occurred in spikers, 10 (29.4%) in middle blockers, 6 (17.6%) in setters, 3 (8.8%) in liberos and 1 (3%) in opposite hitters. Nine (26.5%) occurred in pre-season period, 16 (47%) in the first round, 4 (11.8%) in the second round, and 5 (14.7%) during play-off. The average age of the first ACL rupture was 23±3 years.
CONCLUSIONS: We observed that female volleyball players of A1-A2 Italian volleyball league occurred mostly in a left non-contact ACL rupture during a landing condition and the spikers were the players most at risk. Therefore, it is desirable that coaches teach players variations of landing in order to avoid possible chronic overloading of ACL.

KEY WORDS: Epidemiology - Anterior cruciate ligament injuries - Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction - Volleyball - Women