Impact of prior anterior cruciate ligament, hamstring or groin injury on lower limb strength and jump kinetics in elite female footballers

Objective To compare lower limb strength and countermovement jump (CMJ) kinetics between elite female footballers with and without a history of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), hamstring strain, or hip/groin injury. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Field-based. Participants 369 elite female Australian football, soccer and rugby league players aged 15–35. Main outcome measures Isometric hip adductor and abductor strength, eccentric knee flexor strength, and CMJ vertical ground reaction forces, including between-leg asymmetry. Players reported their lifetime history of ACLR, and whether they had sustained a hamstring strain, or hip/groin injury in the previous 12-months. Results Players with a unilateral history of ACLR (n = 24) had significant between-leg asymmetry in eccentric knee flexor strength (mean = −6.3%, 95%CI = −8.7 to −3.9%, P < .001), isometric hip abductor strength (mean = −2.5%, 95%CI = −4.3 to −0.7%, P = .008), and CMJ peak landing force (mean = −5.5%, 95%CI = −10.9 to −0.1%, P = .046). Together, between-leg asymmetry in eccentric knee flexor strength, isometric hip abductor strength, and CMJ peak landing force distinguished between players with and without prior ACLR with 93% accuracy. Conclusion Elite female footballers with a history of ACLR, but not hamstring or hip/groin injury, exhibit persistent between-leg asymmetries in lower limb strength and jump kinetics following a return to sport