THURSDAY, July 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Female athletes younger than 25 have the highest risk for a repeat tear of the knee's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after surgery to repair it, a new study says.
The study included just over 500 male and female athletes who underwent ACL reconstruction with a hamstring graft and were followed for two years. Their average age was 27. They were allowed to return to sports six to 12 months after surgery if they were pain-free, had equal quadriceps/hamstring strength, and had finished a rehabilitation program.
"Our research noted that female patients under the age of 25 with a [smaller] graft size of less than 8 millimeters have an increased chance of re-tearing their ACL following reconstruction," study lead author Dr.
