Risk factors

There are a number of factors that increase your risk of an ACL injury, including:

• Being female — possibly due to differences in anatomy, muscle strength and hormonal influences
• Participating in certain sports, such as soccer, football, basketball, gymnastics and downhill skiing
• Poor conditioning
• Using faulty movement patterns, such as moving the knees inward during a squat
• Wearing footwear that doesn't fit properly
• Using poorly maintained sports equipment, such as ski bindings that aren't adjusted properly
• Playing on artificial turf