Jakub Oronowicz, Viacheslav Malinovskiy, Alexander Bumberger, Andrzej Jasina, Christoph Lutter, Romain Seil, Thomas Tischer
{"title":"ACL injuries in elite alpine skiing reliably allow athletes to return to competition and perform at or above their pre-injury level.","authors":"Jakub Oronowicz, Viacheslav Malinovskiy, Alexander Bumberger, Andrzej Jasina, Christoph Lutter, Romain Seil, Thomas Tischer","doi":"10.1002/ksa.70090","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are frequently observed in alpine skiing. However, available data regarding post-injury performance levels remain scarce. This study aimed to investigate whether ACL injuries in elite-level alpine skiers limit performance levels after ACL reconstruction (ACLR).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Male and female elite-level alpine skiers from national A-teams who sustained an ACL injury were retrospectively identified through media reports and the Fédération Internationale de Ski database, across all disciplines (downhill, super G, giant slalom and slalom [SL]). World Cup (WC) results and time out of competition before injury and after ACLR were analyzed. Inclusion criteria were injury during or after the 2003/2004 season and participation in at least one WC event pre-injury. Performance levels from two seasons before the injury through the 2022/2023 season were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty-eight elite alpine skiers (28 males and 20 females) met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 97.9% returned to professional competition after ACLR. One female athlete had not yet returned due to a recent injury. The mean return-to-competition (RTC) time was 11.9 ± 4.5 (range: 7-25) months for males and 11.3 ± 1.8 (8-16) months for females. Post-ACLR, athletes demonstrated similar or improved mean WC placements, regardless of discipline. A decline in performance was observed only in SL. A corresponding trend was observed in the top three placements following ACLR. Among skiers returning to competition, 80.8% of males and 63.1% of females reached their pre-injury performance levels. Athletes with multiple injuries or nonoperative treatment showed variable outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Elite alpine skiers can successfully return to WC competition following ACL injury, with many reaching or surpassing pre-injury performance. Performance variability underscores the need for individualized therapy and rehabilitation to optimize recovery in this specific population.</p><p><strong>Level of evidence: </strong>Level IV.</p>","PeriodicalId":520702,"journal":{"name":"Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ksa.70090","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are frequently observed in alpine skiing. However, available data regarding post-injury performance levels remain scarce. This study aimed to investigate whether ACL injuries in elite-level alpine skiers limit performance levels after ACL reconstruction (ACLR).
Methods: Male and female elite-level alpine skiers from national A-teams who sustained an ACL injury were retrospectively identified through media reports and the Fédération Internationale de Ski database, across all disciplines (downhill, super G, giant slalom and slalom [SL]). World Cup (WC) results and time out of competition before injury and after ACLR were analyzed. Inclusion criteria were injury during or after the 2003/2004 season and participation in at least one WC event pre-injury. Performance levels from two seasons before the injury through the 2022/2023 season were assessed.
Results: Forty-eight elite alpine skiers (28 males and 20 females) met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 97.9% returned to professional competition after ACLR. One female athlete had not yet returned due to a recent injury. The mean return-to-competition (RTC) time was 11.9 ± 4.5 (range: 7-25) months for males and 11.3 ± 1.8 (8-16) months for females. Post-ACLR, athletes demonstrated similar or improved mean WC placements, regardless of discipline. A decline in performance was observed only in SL. A corresponding trend was observed in the top three placements following ACLR. Among skiers returning to competition, 80.8% of males and 63.1% of females reached their pre-injury performance levels. Athletes with multiple injuries or nonoperative treatment showed variable outcomes.
Conclusion: Elite alpine skiers can successfully return to WC competition following ACL injury, with many reaching or surpassing pre-injury performance. Performance variability underscores the need for individualized therapy and rehabilitation to optimize recovery in this specific population.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
