Most common recurrent patterns of injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament in women’s professional football (field players)
| Injury pattern | Frequency n/n total (%) | Main mechanism (n/n total) | Ball possession (n/n total) | Timing of injury (n/n total) | Foul play (referee decision) (n/n total) | Tackle: (n/n total) | Additional details (n/n total) | Movement F (n/n total) | |
| Basic | Football-specific | ||||||||
| ‘Pressing ACL injury’ | 9/37 (24%) | Non-contact (9/9) | Opposing team (9/9) | Unspecific (five in the first half, four in the second half) | Never (9/9) | Never (9/9) | Knee twisting (9/9) | Stopping (5/9) or change of direction (4/9) | Running up to ball or opponent (9/9) |
| ‘Parallel sprinting and tackling ACL injury’ | 7/37 (19%) | Indirect contact (7/7) | Ball possession: injured player (3/7), opposing team (3/7), own team (1/7) Injury pitch location: close to the sidelines (7/7) | In the first 35 min of the first half (7/7) | Rare (fouled 1/7) | Always (7/7), tackle by the opponent (6/7) or own tackle (1/7) | Collision with opponent (2/7), hit/push of opponent (2/7) or other interaction with opponent (3/7); contacted body location of the injured player: shoulder (4/7), hip (2/7) or back (1/7)+knee twisting (7/7) | Sprinting (7/7) | Running up (to ball) (4/7), passing (1/7), tackling (1/7) and shielding (ball/opponent) (1/7) |
| ‘Knee-to-knee ACL injury’ | 6/37 (16%) | Direct Contact (6/6) | Injured player (3/6) or opposing team (3/6) | Unspecific | Common (fouled 3/6; own foul 1/6) | Always (6/6), tackle by the opponent (4/6) or own tackling (2/6) | Kicked by opponent against the knee (5/6) or collision with opponent on the knee (1/6)+knee twisting | Standing (2/6), running/sprinting (2/6), starting (1/6) or lunging (1/6) | Receiving (2/6), clearing (2/6), tackling (1/6) or shielding (ball/opponent) (1/6) |
| ‘Landing ACL injury’ | 4/37 (11%) | Non-contact (4/4) | Injured player (2/4), own team (1/4) or opponent team (1/4) | Unspecific (two in the first half, two in the second half) | Never (4/4) | Never (4/4) | Knee twisting (4/4) | Landing (3/4) or change-of-direction- movement during landing (1/4) | Shooting (1/4), dribbling (1/4) or running to ball or opponent (1/4) |
| Being tackled ACL injury | 3/37 (8%) | Indirect contact (3/3) | Ball possession: injured player (3/3) | Substitution injury (2/3) | Rare (1/3) | Always (3/3) | Hit/push of opponent (2/3) or pull of opponent (1/3) | Change-of-direction- movement (1/3) or stopping (2/3) | Shielding (ball/opponent 2/3) or shooting (1/3) |
| Disrupted lunging ACL injury | 2/37 (6%) | Indirect contact (2/2) | Ball possession: opposing team (2/2) | Second half (2/2) | Never (2/2) | Never (2/2) | Blocked shot during lunge with injured side (1/2) or contralateral side (1/2) | Lunging (2/2) and blocking shot (1/2) or clearing (1/2) | Collision with ball (2) |
| ’Mid-intensity change-of-direction/stopping’ ACL injury | 2/37 (6%) | Non-contact (2/2) | Opposing team (2/2) | First 5 min (1/) or substitution (1/1) | Never (2/2) | Never (2/2) | Knee twisting (2/2) | Change-of-direction- movement (1/1) or stopping (1/1) | Running to opponent (1/1) or running to ball (1/1) |
| ’Jumping ACL injury’ | 1/37 (3%) | Non-contact (1/1) | Own team (1/1) | Unspecific | Never (1/1) | Never (1/1) | Unclear (1/1) | Jumping (1/1) | Jumping for header (1/1) |
| ’Shooting’ ACL injury | 1/37 (3%) | Non-contact (1/) | Own team (1/1) | Unspecific | Never (1/1) | Never (1/1) | Knee twisting (1/1) | Sprinting (1/1) | Cross-shooting the ball (1/1) |
ACL, anterior cruciate ligament.