Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Aug 6;13(8):23259671251352207.
doi: 10.1177/23259671251352207. eCollection 2025 Aug.

Clinical Outcomes of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Gaelic Games Players

Timothy McAleese  1   2 , Neil Welch  2   3 , Enda King  4 , Liam Moffatt  5 , Niamh Keane  3 , Kieran A Moran  3   6   7 , Mark Jackson  2 , Daniel Withers  2 , Ray Moran  2 , Brian M Devitt  2   3
Affiliations

Clinical Outcomes of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Gaelic Games Players

Timothy McAleese et al. Orthop J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Background: The Gaelic games, specifically Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie, are high-intensity, level 1 field sports. However, there is a lack of data regarding the outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in Gaelic games players.

Purpose: To evaluate the rates of return to play (RTP), ACL graft reinjury, contralateral ACL injury, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) in a cohort of Gaelic footballers and hurling/camogie players at 2 years after ACLR.

Study design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods: A consecutive cohort of 1891 Gaelic games players who underwent primary ACLR between 2014 and 2018 was included. Patients were contacted at 2 years postoperatively with an overall follow-up rate of 93.4%. The rate of RTP, subsequent ACL injury, and PROMS were recorded. The PROMS evaluated were the Marx score, the ACL-Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI), and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score.

Results: The mean age was 23 ± 6 years, and 73.3% of athletes were male. RTP rates were 87.8% for Gaelic football and 89.5% for hurling/camogie, with 72.7% and 76.3% of athletes returning to an equivalent or higher level of performance, respectively. Female Gaelic footballers had a slightly lower RTP rate than males (83.8% vs 89.1%; P < .016). The mean time to RTP was 10.8 ± 4 months. The rate of bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft reinjury was 3.3% (51/1547) versus 15.3% (33/216) for hamstring (HT) autografts (P < .001). Senior intercounty (elite) players had the lowest rate of contralateral ACL injury (8.1%, 14/173). Gaelic footballers and hurling/camogie players reported good outcomes with mean IKDC scores of 86.9 ± 9.8 versus 87.9 ± 8.9, (P = .064), mean Marx scores of 11 ± 4.7 versus 11.3 ± 4.6 (P = .309), and mean ACL-RSI scores of 74.1 ± 23.5 versus 75.8 ± 24.2 (P = .321), respectively.

Conclusion: RTP rates among Gaelic games players were high, with the majority returning to an equivalent/higher level of performance. The rate of BPTB graft reinjury was low, considering the injury risk associated with returning to level 1 sport. Younger patients and those who underwent HT autograft reconstruction were at the highest risk of ACL graft reinjury. Overall, Gaelic games players reported good knee function and outcomes after ACLR.

Keywords: Gaelic football; Gaelic games; anterior cruciate ligament; camogie; hurling; level 1 sport.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: T.M. receives research funding under the Strategic Academic Recruitment (StAR) Programme of the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. The content of this manuscript is solely the responsibility of the authors and was not influenced by the funding entity. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Sports Surgery Clinic (25-AFM-010).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart of participant inclusion in the analysis. ACLR, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; PROMs, patient-reported outcomes Measures; RTP, return to play.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Timing of RTP after ACLR in Gaelic football and hurling/camogie players. ACLR, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; RTP, return to play.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Scatterplot displaying the predicted probability (%) of ACL graft reinjury for BPTB and HT grafts by age for Gaelic Games players. ACL, anterior cruciate ligament; BPTB, bone-patellar tendon-bone; HT, hamstring tendon.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
(A) ACL graft reinjury rate for intercounty Gaelic games players at a 2-year follow-up.(B) Contralateral ACL injury for intercounty Gaelic games players at a 2-year follow-up.Note: The senior, intermediate, and junior categories are all played by adults but differ in terms of competition level—minor: <18 years; underage: <16 years. ACL, anterior cruciate ligament.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
ACL graft reinjury rate for intercounty Gaelic games players involved at the club level at a 2-year follow-up.(B) Contralateral ACL injury rate for intercounty Gaelic games players involved at the club level at a 2-year follow-up.Note: The senior, intermediate, and junior categories are all played by adults but differ in terms of competition level—minor: <18 years; underage: <16 years. ACL, anterior cruciate ligament.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Scatterplot displaying the predicted probability (%) of contralateral ACL injury for BPTB and HT grafts by age for Gaelic games players. ACL, anterior cruciate ligament; BPTB, bone-patellar tendon-bone; HT, hamstring tendon.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Ardern CL, Glasgow P, Schneiders A, et al. 2016 Consensus statement on return to sport from the First World Congress in Sports Physical Therapy, Bern. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(14):853-864. - PubMed
    1. Ardern CL, Taylor NF, Feller JA, Webster KE. Fifty-five per cent return to competitive sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis including aspects of physical functioning and contextual factors. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(21):1543-1552. - PubMed
    1. Ardern CL, Webster KE, Taylor NF, Feller JA. Return to the preinjury level of competitive sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery: two-thirds of patients have not returned by 12 months after surgery. Am J Sports Med. 2011;39(3):538-543. - PubMed
    1. Beasley KJ. Nutrition and Gaelic football: review, recommendations, and future considerations. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2015;25(1):1-13. - PubMed
    1. Beischer S, Gustavsson L, Senorski EH, et al. Young athletes who return to sport before 9 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction have a rate of new injury 7 times that of those who delay return. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2020;50(2):83-90. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources