Common knee ligament injuries in university athletes

Abstract

Introduction: Knee joint is with many components making it vulnerable to variety of injuries. Knee injuries more often occur during sports or recreational activities. Knee ligament injuries are most common among university athletes. This study was conducted to describe common knee ligament injuries among university athletes. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted using 80 athletes from the ages 20-26 years in 3 selected universities (University of Colombo, University of Moratuwa and University of Sri Jayawardhanapura) in Colombo district. Athletes who had ligament injury during last 6 months and have returned to playing without proper rehabilitation (had only rest, bandaging, ice and painkillers as treatments) were selected for the study. Athletes who had injuries in other joints of lower limb other than knee joint, knee injuries other than ligament injuries were excluded. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect details of practicing hours per day, ligament injury types and athletic events. Data was analysed using appropriate descriptive statistics. Results: The mean age of the injured athletes was found as 22.9 years (SD +/-1.25). The average of the practicing hours in the injured group was found as 2.28 hours per day (SD +/-0.45). Majority of athletes had injured their dominant side (77.5%). The commonest knee ligament injury was anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury (37.5%). Majority of injured male athletes had ACL injury (45%) while the majority of injured female athletes had meniscal injury (40%). The majority of male athletes who had ACL injury were participated in 200m running event (30%) while majority of female athletes who had meniscal injury were participated in 200m running event, long jump and 110m hurdles events (20% in each). Conclusion: Knee ligament injuries cause diminished performance levels in university athletes.