A Longitudinal Case-Control Study of a Female Athlete Preinjury and After ACL Reconstruction: Hop Performance, Knee Muscle Strength, and Knee Landing Mechanics

Athletes with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury followed by ACL reconstruction (ACLR) often perform various testing to guide return to sport, but preinjury data are rarely available for comparison. This longitudinal case-control study reports absolute value and between-leg symmetry data on maximal performances for single-leg hop height and distance, muscle strength, and side hop landing mechanics of an 18-year-old female soccer athlete collected 5 months before sustaining an ACL injury and again at 10, 13, and 29 months post-ACLR. Her data were compared across test sessions and to cross-sectional data of 15 asymptomatic female athletes.