Is there significant difference between performance levels before ACL injury
and after being cleared for participation in collegiate football players?
Athletic Training Program - Department of Health Science
Background
 ACL injuries are prevalent in collegiate football due
to the extreme demands placed on the body.1,2
 Several methods of rehabilitation and
treatment protocols have been introduced to
decrease the rate of ACL re-ruptures.3,4
 Despite a standard protocol, each athlete will vary in
the amount of time that it takes to return to high
levels of functional performance based on the
demands of collegiate football.4,5
 This study is interested in tracking performance
levels before and after ACL reconstruction to see
whether performance deficits remain after and
athlete is returned for participation.
 By quantifying training loads and performance
deficits, clinicians can better monitor and
estimate the mechanical load acting on the
body that could predispose the athlete to re-
injury.6
 The efficacy of the Catapult sport technology will be
used to determine if athletes are ready to return to
sport based on data from the previous season.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a way to
indicate if an athlete is ready to return at pre-
injury level through the use of the Catapult
sports technology and potentially reduce the
risk of re-injury to the ACL.
Lauren Baker, Allison Funk, and Tyler Hill
College of Human Environmental Sciences
Methods
 University IRB approval will be obtained for this research
Subjects
 Division 1 football players at The University of Alabama
 Returning to sport following ACL reconstruction
 On official roster for 2016-2017 and 2017-2018
season
 Must have catapult data pre-ACL injury
Procedures
 Catapult will be worn during practice to collect data on
direction and intensity, jumps, acceleration and
deceleration, and repeated high intensity efforts
 The data will be analyzed to view the participants’
statistical information regarding physical performance
Data Reduction
 Data will be compared from 2 seasons;
 Pre-injury----2016-2017
 Post-injury---2017-2018
 The catapult data collected from pre-season to the time
of injury will be calculated ass season averages
Analysis
 Descriptive statistics will be calculated.
 A dependent sample t-test will be used to compare
average catapult scores between the seasons before
and after ACL injury.
 An a priori alpha level of .05 will be used.
Clinical Significance
Catapult sports technology provides statistical data
about sports performance and can aid the clinician in
determining whether the athlete is susceptible to injury
or not. The data reported can be utilized during ACL
rehabilitation to determine if the athlete is ready to
return to sport or might suffer re-injury.
Bibliography
1. Erickson BJ, Pham A, Haro MS. Risk of reinjury or subsequent injury after
anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Oper Tech Sports Med.
2016;24(1):65-72.
2. Joseph AM, Collins CL, Henke NM, Yard EE, Fields SK, Comstock RD. A
multisport epidemiologic comparison of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in
high school athletics. J Athl Train. 2013;48(6):810-817.
3. Favre J, Clancy C, Dowling AV, Andriacchi TP. Modification of knee flexion
angle has patient-specific effects on anterior cruciate ligament injury risk
factors during jump landing. Am J Sports Med. 2016;44(6):1540-1546.
4. Fullagar HH, McCunn R, Murray A. Updated Review of the Applied
Physiology of American College Football: Physical Demands, Strength and
Conditioning, Nutrition, and Injury Characteristics of America’s Favorite
Game. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017;12(10):1396-1403.
5. Awad OB, Alqarni SAM, Alkhalaf HM, et al. A systematic review of acl
reconstruction rehabilitation. Egypt J Hosp Med. 2017;68:853-865.
6. Nicolella DP, Torres-Ronda L, Saylor KJ, Schelling X. Validity and reliability
of an accelerometer-based player tracking device. PLoS One.
2018;13(2):e0191823.