Context: The muscular function restoration related to the type of physical rehabilitation followed after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) using autologous hamstring tendon graft in terms of strength and cross-sectional area (CSA) remain controversial.Objective: To analyze the CSA and force output of quadriceps and hamstring muscles in subjects following either an Objective Criteria-Based Rehabilitation (OCBR) algorithm or the usual care (UCR) for ACL rehabilitation in Spain, before and 1 year after undergoing an ACLR.Design: Longitudinal clinical double-blinded randomized controlled trial.Setting: Sports-medicine research center.Patients: 40 recreational athletes (30 male, 10 female [24 ± 6.9 y, 176.55 ± 6.6 cm, 73.58 ± 12.3 kg]).Intervention: Both groups conducted differentiated rehabilitation procedures after ACLR. Those belonging to OCBR group were guided in their recovery according to the current evidence-based principles. UCR group followed the national conventional approach for ACL rehabilitation.Main Outcome Measures: Concentric isokinetic knee joint flexor-extension torque assessments at 180°/s and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) evaluations were performed before and 12 months after ACLR. Anatomical muscle CSA (mm2) was assessed, in Quadriceps, Biceps femoris, Semitendinous, Semimembranosus, and Gracilis muscles at 50% and 70% femur length.Results: Reduced muscle CSA was observed in both treatment groups for Semitendinosus and Gracilis 1 year after ACLR. At 1-year follow-up, subjects allocated to the OCBR demonstrated greater knee flexor and extensor peak torque values in their reconstructed limbs in comparison with patients treated by UCR.Conclusions: Objective atrophy of Semitendinosus and Gracilis muscles related to surgical ACLR was found to persist in both rehabilitation groups. However, OCBR after ACLR lead to substantial gains on maximal knee flexor strength and ensured more symmetrical anterior-posterior laxity levels at the knee joint.

The main objectives of the present study were to describe the injury incidence and to analyze the anthropometric and physical characteristics of players from three high-level women’s football teams. The present study involved 54 female football players (21.9 ± 4.9 years old) from three different teams competing in the Spanish Reto Iberdrola-Segunda División PRO league. A battery of tests was carried out to determine the anthropometric and physical performance characteristics of the players along with an injury incidence record during a full competitive season. The obtained results showed that there was a high incidence of injury, as 38% of the players suffered some type of injury during the season (range 1–5; 1.75 ± 1.02 injuries per player). Injuries occurred in both matches and during training at a similar percentage (48.6 vs. 51.4%), and the majority of the registered episodes were graded as moderate or severe injury types (60%). Players suffering from an injury accumulated a total of 1587 chronological days off work due to injury during the season, with a recurrence rate of 55%. Considering the high incidence of injury, and the injury burden and the reinjure rate observed in this research, it seems necessary to apply the most efficient prevention and recovery measures possible in these female football teams. These descriptive data could serve athletic trainers and medical staff of female football teams to better understand their own screening procedure-derived data.