Young athletes who do not score a 90 per cent on various tests that measure their fitness to return to the athletic competition are at a higher risk of second ACL injury, finds a study.An ACL injury is a tear or sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of the major ligaments in your knee.The study presented at the 'American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting' followed 181 patients, average age 16 years, for two years.Each patient was given a return-to-sport assessment that included six tests: isometric quadriceps strength, four functional hop tests and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) patient-reported outcome survey.Limb symmetry index was calculated for strength and hop test assessments. Subjects were classified as patients who successfully passed all six return-to-sport tests at a level of 90 as compared to those who failed to meet all six criteria.The researchers sought to determine if successfully passing all six measures resulted .
