Abstract
During the period 1975-1981, 48 persons were operated on at Tampere University Central
Hospital for an acute knee ligament sports injury. Their mean age was 31.6 years.
A total of 40 patients had a postoperative follow-up ranging from 2 to 7 years (average
41 months).
The number of operations increased greatly during the observation period: in 1980-1981,
29 operations (60%) were performed. Of all the injuries, 29 (60%) occurred in the
winter season (January-March). Cross-country skiing was the cause in nearly half of
the cases (23), and 21 of these were spare time sports injuries involving mainly middle-aged
women (15).
According to the questionnaire and clinical and radiological reexamination, the patients
injured in spare time sports did not differ significantly from the patients with no
sports injury in respect to the amount, quality, or position of the pathological changes
in the knee. However, the whole group of top-level or competitive sportsmen had significantly
better healing results than the other patients.
Slippery cross-country skis made from glass fibers seem to be dengerous, especially
for older female spare time skiers. Competitive sportsmen's better healing results
are obviously based on their younger age, better muscular performance, and higher
motivation, and better possibilities for rehabilitation.
Key words
knee ligament - injury - competitive sports - spare time sports - cross-country skiing
- winter season - middle-aged women
