Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41843325›Full record

ReviewCurrent reviews in musculoskeletal medicine2026

Disparities in ACL Injury and Management: The Impact of Sex, Race, and Social Determinants of Health.

Paul B Walker, Babapelumi Adejuyigbe, Isaiah Hoffman, Timothy Dull, Camille Motchoffo Simo, Kristofer J Jones

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Paul B WalkerUniversity of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. Paulwalker@mednet.ucla.edu.
Babapelumi AdejuyigbeUniversity of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. BAdejuyigbe@mednet.ucla.edu.
Isaiah HoffmanUniversity of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. Isaiahhoff@gmail.com.
Timothy DullUniversity of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. Timothydull2022@gmail.com.
Camille Motchoffo SimoUniversity of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. CMotchoffoSimo@mednet.ucla.edu.
Kristofer J JonesUniversity of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. KJJones@mednet.ucla.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purpose of reviewAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common condition that significantly affects physical function and long-term knee health across diverse patient populations. Although outcomes after ACL reconstruction have improved, growing evidence demonstrates persistent disparities related to biological sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors. This review synthesizes recent literature examining how these factors influence ACL injury risk and outcomes, with the goal of identifying actionable gaps and future directions to improve equity in ACL management. RECENT

findingsRecent studies confirm that female patients sustain ACL injuries at higher rates and experience inferior patient-reported outcomes and lower return-to-sport rates despite largely equivalent objective surgical outcomes. Recent work highlights neuromuscular and plyometric-based rehabilitation, psychological readiness, and adaptable rehabilitation environments as key modifiable contributors to these disparities. Racial and ethnic minority patients experience delayed surgical care, reduced rehabilitation utilization, and worse functional outcomes, with neighborhood-level socioeconomic deprivation and access-related barriers emerging as key modifiable contributors. Disparities in ACL outcomes arise from the interaction of biological risk, rehabilitation-dependent recovery, and structural barriers affecting access to timely surgery and postoperative care. Rehabilitation offers a critical, modifiable opportunity to reduce these gaps by optimizing neuromuscular recovery and ensuring equitable access to supervised therapy. Future progress will require prospective, sex-, race-, or ethnicity-stratified studies, integration of area-level socioeconomic metrics, and care pathways that address delays in evaluation, surgery, and rehabilitation. Earlier implementation of neuromuscular injury-prevention programs in youth and community-based settings may further reduce downstream disparities.

Indexed as

ACL reconstructionAnterior cruciate ligamentRacial disparitiesSex and gender differencesSocioeconomic status

Identifiers

PMID41843325
PMCPMC12996464

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.