SOCCER AFTER ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INJURY - AN INCOMPATIBLE COMBINATION - A NATIONAL SURVEY OF INCIDENCE AND RISK-FACTORS AND A 7-YEARFOLLOW-UP PLAYERS

All players in Swedish soccer teams are required to have insurance in the same company. From the archives of the insurance company, all 3,73 5 injuries reported in 1986 in 138,152 Swedish soccer players were rev iewed. Of these, 937 were knee injuries. All players were asked by mai l to fill in a questionnaire and 83 percent replied. The patient recor ds from the different hospitals were requested. The anterior cruciate injuries represented one third of the reported knee injuries. The rela tive risk of sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury was incre ased in female players, in elite players, and in players in the forwar d position. The odds ratios were 1.6 (1.3-2.1), 3.3 (1.7-6.1) and 1.8 (1.4-2.5), respectively. The injuries occurred at a younger age in fem ales than in males. 50 percent of the injured players were treated wit h anterior cruciate ligament surgery, predominantly as a reconstructiv e procedure, with use of a patellar tendon transplant. 30 (20) percent of the players with anterior cruciate ligament injury were active in soccer after 3 (7) years, compared to 80 (50) percent of an uninjured control population of soccer players. None of the elite players was ac tive at the same level after 7 years. A comparison of anterior cruciat e ligament-injured players, whether treated by surgical reconstruction or not, revealed no difference with regard to the proportion of playe rs still playing soccer after 7 years.