The Rising Epidemic of ACL Tears in Young Female Athletes

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears are happening at alarming rates in young female athletes. I have been an Orthopedic Sports Medicine Physician for 25 years. I have seen and treated thousands of ACL injuries. These are physically and emotionally devastating to the athlete.

I recently read an article by Craig Welch in the New York Times Magazine, “Why Are So Many Teen Girls Tearing Their ACLs?” (February 26, 2026). The author did a brilliant job describing this phenomenon. ACL tears are a devastating injury that usually requires surgery to return to sports. This injury transforms a teenage athlete from a super busy, physically fit, and focused athlete to one looking at enduring the pain of surgery, rehab, and a slow return to play. Most physicians are telling these athletes that you will likely not be 100% for up to 1 year. The numbers listed in the article are alarming. Women are 3–6x more likely to tear their ACL. Women in high school who play year-round soccer have a 1 in 6 chance of tearing their ACL. Those women who return after rehab have a 1 in 3 chance of re-tearing or tearing the other side.

The sports medicine literature suggests women’s risk factors are knee anatomy differences, hormonal differences, and muscle strength issues. Several authors have suggested that kids are not doing unstructured play because of increased screen time and less active lifestyles. This unstructured play is thought to build leg strength, coordination, and intuitive movement.

ACL prevention exercises have been shown to reduce injury by 2/3. Programs like FIFA 11+ can be incorporated into training and warmups. These have not been readily adopted because of education, timing, and reluctance of coaches.

I would encourage you to read this article. I would encourage you to advocate for your athlete. Ask your programs to incorporate these programs that can reduce the heartache of injury.