Conclusion : The literature suggests an association between hormonal fluctuations and ACL injury .
Recent studies have suggested that oral contraceptives may offer up to a 20 % reduction in risk of injury .
Background : Women are at substantially greater risk for anterior cruciate ligament ( ACL ) injuries than are men .
Purpose : To conduct a systematic review and meta- analysis of the literature to clarify the effect of the menstrual cycle and contraceptives on the laxity of and noncontact injuries to the ACL .
Relaxin Receptors in the Human Female Anterior Cruciate Ligament
Background Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries occur two to eight times more often in women than in men . Changes in ligament laxity and strength have been associated with female hormones such as relaxin . Hypothesis Relaxin receptors are present within the female anterior cruciate ligament . Study Design Controlled laboratory study . Methods Remnants of anterior cruciate ligament were harvested from five women and five men undergoing routine ligament reconstruction . Relaxin was biotinylated and analyzed for biologic activity with use of the mouse interpubic ligament bioassay . Immunohistochemical localization of relaxin receptors was performed with appropriate negative controls and competitive binding assays to determine receptor specificity and saturability . Results Anterior cruciate ligament sections from women but not from men showed uniform specific binding that was limited to synovial lining cells , stromal fibroblasts , and cells lining blood vessels . Specific binding was confirmed in the presence of a 2000-fold excess of human insulin , the structural homolog of relaxin , and competitive inhibition was demonstrated in the presence of a 2000-fold excess of unlabeled relaxin . Conclusions Relaxin exhibits specific saturable binding in the female anterior cruciate ligament , where specific relaxin receptors were present . Clinical Relevance The high incidence of anterior cruciate ligament rupture in female athletes may be partially explained by the effects of relaxin
Conclusion : The literature suggests an association between hormonal fluctuations and ACL injury .
Recent studies have suggested that oral contraceptives may offer up to a 20 % reduction in risk of injury .
Background : Women are at substantially greater risk for anterior cruciate ligament ( ACL ) injuries than are men .
Purpose : To conduct a systematic review and meta- analysis of the literature to clarify the effect of the menstrual cycle and contraceptives on the laxity of and noncontact injuries to the ACL .