Between 25 and 30 players have missed out on the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. While ACL injuries are reasonably common in athletes, the rate of this type of injury is almost twice as high in females than in males.
Yet this problem isn’t just restricted to elite athletes. Amateur and recreational athletes are also at risk. ACL rupture can also happen in non-sporting situations – such as a fall. Alarmingly, the number of serious knee injuries in young people is actually on the rise in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and the US.
