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. 2014 Apr 22;2(4):2325967114530988.
doi: 10.1177/2325967114530988. eCollection 2014 Apr.

Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life and Knee Function After Knee Injury in Young Female Athletes

Timothy A McGuine  1 , Andrew P Winterstein  1 , Kathleen Carr  1 , Scott Hetzel  1
Affiliations

Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life and Knee Function After Knee Injury in Young Female Athletes

Timothy A McGuine et al. Orthop J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Background: Recent literature has called for greater attention to evidence-based practice in sports medicine with the documentation of overall status and impairments following injury. The prospective documentation of impairments associated with knee injuries in female athletes regarding their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and knee function (KF) of high school and collegiate athletes is limited. Assessing the effect knee injuries have on young female athletes may allow clinicians to better understand the perspectives of the athletes who sustain these injuries.

Purpose: To document the changes over 12 months in self-reported HRQoL and KF in young females who have sustained a knee injury.

Study design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: A convenience sample of 242 females (mean age, 17.4 ± 2.4 years) who injured their knee participating in sport or recreational activities was utilized. Injuries were categorized as anterior cruciate ligament tears (ACL), anterior knee pain (AKP), patellar instability (PAT), meniscus tear (MNT), iliotibial band syndrome (ITB), collateral ligament sprain (COL), and other (OTH). HRQoL was assessed with the Short Form-12 v 2.0 survey (SF-12) physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). KF was assessed with the 2000 International Knee Documentation Committee survey (IKDC). Dependent variables included the paired differences in the 2000 IKDC as well as SF-12 composite scores from preinjury through 12 months postdiagnosis. Paired differences were assessed with repeated-measures analyses of variance (P ≤ .05).

Results: IKDC scores were lower through 12 months for ACL, AKP, and PAT; through 6 months for MNT; and through 3 months for COL and OTH. HRQoL PCS and MCS scores were lower through 3 to 12 months depending on the type of injury classification.

Conclusion: Knee injuries can negatively affect KF and HRQoL for up to 12 months in young females. Sports medicine providers need to be aware of these impacts as they work to effectively treat individuals with these injuries.

Keywords: female; knee function; knee injury; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflicts of interest or source of funding: Funding for this study was provided by the Virginia Horne Henry Fund at the University of Wisconsin and the UW Health Sports Medicine Classic Research Fund.

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