Objective To compare lower limb strength and countermovement jump (CMJ) kinetics between elite female footballers with and without a history of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), hamstring strain, or hip/groin injury. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Field-based. Participants 369 elite female Australian football, soccer and rugby league players aged 15-35. Main outcome measures Isometric hip adductor and abductor strength, eccentric knee flexor strength, and CMJ vertical ground reaction forces, including between-leg asymmetry. Players reported their lifetime history of ACLR, and whether they had sustained a hamstring strain, or hip/groin injury in the previous 12-months. Results Players with a unilateral history of ACLR (n = 24) had significant between-leg asymmetry in eccentric knee flexor strength (mean = -6.3%, 95%CI = -8.7 to -3.9%, P < .001), isometric hip abductor strength (mean = -2.5%, 95%CI = -4.3 to -0.7%, P = .008), and CMJ peak landing force (mean = -5.5%, 95%CI = -10.9 to -0.1%, P = .046). Together, between-leg asymmetry in eccentric knee flexor strength, isometric hip abductor strength, and CMJ peak landing force distinguished between players with and without prior ACLR with 93% accuracy. Conclusion Elite female footballers with a history of ACLR, but not hamstring or hip/groin injury, exhibit persistent between-leg asymmetries in lower limb strength and jump kinetics following a return to sport. Highlights • Elite female footballers with prior ACLR display chronic between-leg asymmetries in knee flexor strength, hip abductor strength, and jump-landing force. • Lower limb strength and jump kinetics are not impaired after hamstring or hip/groin injury. • These data may have implications for ACLR rehabilitation and return to sport criteria.
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