Certain genes may increase athletes’ risk for ACL tears.
A new study in the “Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport” examined 229 individuals who had suffered from a ruptured ACL and 192 subjects with healthy knees. Researchers found that a genetic variation that codes for the MMP enzymes that model connective tissue was significantly more prevalent in the injured subjects compared to controls.
Conclusions
Some individuals are at a higher risk for ACL ruptures or similar injuries due to genetic factors that influence connective tissue modeling.
References
Lulińska-Kuklik, E., Rahim, M., Moska, W., Maculewicz, E., Kaczmarczyk, M., Maciejewska-Skrendo, A., … & Sawczuk, M. (2019). Are MMP3, MMP8 and TIMP2 gene variants associated with anterior cruciate ligament rupture susceptibility?. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 22(7), 753-757.