Video Analysis of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries

Abstract

Background:As the most viable method for investigating in vivo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, video analysis is critical for understanding ACL injury mechanisms and advancing preventative training programs. Despite the limited number of published studies involving video analysis, much has been gained through evaluating actual injury scenarios.Methods:Studies meeting criteria for this systematic review were collected by performing a broad search of the ACL literature with use of variations and combinations of video recordings and ACL injuries. Both descriptive and analytical studies were included.Results:Descriptive studies have identified specific conditions that increase the likelihood of an ACL injury. These conditions include close proximity to opposing players or other perturbations, high shoe-surface friction, and landing on the heel or the flat portion of the foot. Analytical studies have identified high-risk joint angles on landing, such as a combination of decreased ankle plantar flexion, decreased knee flexion, and increased hip flexion.Conclusions:The high-risk landing position appears to influence the likelihood of ACL injury to a much greater extent than inherent risk factors. As such, on the basis of the results of video analysis, preventative training should be applied broadly. Kinematic data from video analysis have provided insights into the dominant forces that are responsible for the injury (i.e., axial compression with potential contributions from quadriceps contraction and valgus loading). With the advances in video technology currently underway, video analysis will likely lead to enhanced understanding of non-contact ACL injury.

A Comparison of Knee Abduction Angles Measured by a 3D Anatomic Coordinate System Versus Videographic Analysis: Implications for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

“…Analysis of videographic footage is used to provide information on knee positions at the time of ACL injury. 5 Several of these studies have supported the hypothesis that aberrant knee abduction angle plays a crucial role in ACL rupture. 3,15,28 In contrast, 3D in vivo imaging studies suggest that the ACL is elongated at lower FLA and support the hypothesis that landing in extension is a highly relevant risk factor for ACL injury.…”

A model-based approach to predict neuromuscular control patterns that minimize ACL forces during jump landing

“…Inciting events/typical situations, which result in ACL injuries, are non-contact in nature and involve sudden deceleration tasks such as jump landing maneuvers with or without a change of direction (Griffin et al 2006;Carlson et al 2016). Video analysis studies provide important information regarding the kinematics of the athlete during actual ACL injury cases and possible risk factors.…”

“…Video analysis studies provide important information regarding the kinematics of the athlete during actual ACL injury cases and possible risk factors. In a recent review of Carlson et al (2016), for example, the landing position of the athlete was stated to influence the likelihood of ACL injury to a much greater extent than inherent risk factors. However, video analysis studies are restricted to kinematic analyses and do not provide information about the underlying joint moments or the muscle forces corresponding to the kinematics of the athlete.…”

An approach to generate noncontact ACL-injury prone situations on a computer using kinematic data of non-injury situations and Monte Carlo simulation

“…If video sequences of ACL injury cases are available, video analysis studies provide important information on the athlete's kinematics (e.g., joint angles, orientation of the trunk) during the events leading to injuries and the actual ACL injury situations. Video analysis has been applied to study injury cases in different sports such as basketball, handball, football and skiing (Carlson et al 2016). However, video sequences of actual injury situations are rare and video analysis studies are restricted to kinematic analyses.…”