A Review of Neuromuscular Training and Biomechanical Risk Factor Screening for ACL Injury Prevention Among Female Soccer Players

Abstract

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a highly prevalent and costly injury to treat, both financially and regarding its long-term detrimental effects on those injured. Adolescent female soccer players appear to be particularly vulnerable, possibly due to various biomechanical risk factors, such as knee valgus loading and imbalanced hamstrings-quadriceps (H/Q) ratio. Many studies support the benefits of generic neuromuscular training programs in mitigating this heightened injury risk. Despite this, ACL injuries remain pervasive within this population. This review aims to highlight the current tools available to assess athletes for biomechanical risk factors at an individual level, including three-dimensional motion analysis, the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), and the Cutting Movement Assessment Score (CMAS). Utilization of these analyses could facilitate developing and implementing more individualized training programs, thereby identifying high-risk athletes, reducing sports-related ACL injuries, and lessening the economic burden of these injuries on both the patient and the health care system.