SynthesisPloS one2023
Effects of the menstrual cycle phase on anterior cruciate ligament neuromuscular and biomechanical injury risk surrogates in eumenorrheic and naturally menstruating women: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- The influence of the menstrual cycle on muscle injuries - a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Age-related differences in the effectiveness of neuromuscular training for preventing anterior cruciate ligament injuries in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Differences in Biomechanical Determinants of ACL Injury Risk in Change of Direction Tasks Between Males and Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2024Pooled it
- A Thematic Narrative Review of Osteoarthritis Risk Factors Across the Female Life Course.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Menstrual Cycle-Related Symptoms and Disorders and Their Impact on Physical, Psychosocial, and Environmental Determinants of Exercise Performance: A Scoping Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
- Effects of a 4-week neuromuscular balance training program on knee proprioception, functional performance, and landing errors in national-level female wrestlers: a randomized controlled trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- The Influence of the Phases of the Menstrual Cycle on Intrinsic Injury Risk Factors in Eumenorrheic Female Athletes or Physically Active Women-A Systematic Review.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Two-thirds return but performance suffers: ACL reconstruction outcomes across elite European women's soccer leagues.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2026Article
- The effects of the menstrual cycle on physical and psychological parameters in female athletes.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The Influence of Menstrual Cycle Phase and Urinary Incontinence on Potential ACL Injury Risk Factors with a Focus on Hip Strength and Postural Control in Elite Female Team Sport Athletes: A Pilot Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Menstrual cycle does not change sagittal plane segments coordination variability during deadlift, a nonlinear dynamical analysis approach.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Menstrual cycle hormonal fluctuations and their associations with athletic performance and injury susceptibility in female athletes.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Advancing Women's Performance in Fitness and Sports: An Exploratory Field Study on Hormonal Monitoring and Menstrual Cycle-Tailored Training Strategies.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Gender/Sex Entanglement, Structural Sexism, and Injury: The Case of Australian Rules Football.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2025Article
- Regulation of Joint Tissues and Joint Function: Is There Potential for Lessons to Be Learned Regarding Regulatory Control from Joint Hypermobility Syndromes?International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- The Clinical Significance of Femoral and Tibial Anatomy for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury and ReconstructionCurrent medical imaging · 2025Review
- Functional Knee Stability in Elite Field Hockey Depends on Playing Class and Gender.Sports medicine international open · 2025Article
- Modelling of ankle joint range of motion and landing quality scores in female soccer players with quantile regression approach.PloS one · 2025Article
- Article
- Menstruation and injury occurrence; a four season observational study in elite female football players.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEumenorrheic women experience cyclic variations in sex hormones attributed to the menstrual cycle (MC) which can impact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) properties, knee laxity, and neuromuscular function. This systematic review aimed to examine the effects of the MC on ACL neuromuscular and biomechanical injury risk surrogates during dynamic tasks, to establish whether a particular MC phase predisposes women to greater ACL injury risk.
methodsPubMed, Medline, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science were searched (May-July 2021) for studies that investigated the effects of the MC on ACL neuromuscular and biomechanical injury risk surrogates. Inclusion criteria were: 1) injury-free women (18-40 years); 2) verified MC phases via biochemical analysis and/or ovulation kits; 3) examined neuromuscular and/or biomechanical injury risk surrogates during dynamic tasks; 4) compared ≥1 outcome measure across ≥2 defined MC phases.
resultsSeven of 418 articles were included. Four studies reported no significant differences in ACL injury risk surrogates between MC phases. Two studies showed evidence the mid-luteal phase may predispose women to greater risk of non-contact ACL injury. Three studies reported knee laxity fluctuated across the MC; two of which demonstrated MC attributed changes in knee laxity were associated with changes in knee joint loading (KJL). Study quality (Modified Downs and Black Checklist score: 7-9) and quality of evidence were low to very low (Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation: very low).
conclusionIt is inconclusive whether a particular MC phase predisposes women to greater non-contact ACL injury risk based on neuromuscular and biomechanical surrogates. Practitioners should be cautious manipulating their physical preparation, injury mitigation, and screening practises based on current evidence. Although variable (i.e., magnitude and direction), MC attributed changes in knee laxity were associated with changes in potentially hazardous KJLs. Monitoring knee laxity could therefore be a viable strategy to infer possible ACL injury risk.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.