Lack of hormonal influences on mechanical properties of XXXX knee ligaments.

@entity1 @entity172 @entity742 @entity130 @entity53 @entity177 @entity441
BACKGROUND: The number of anterior cruciate @entity130 in female athletes exceeds that in male athletes at similar competitive levels. This difference has been attributed by some authors to hormone-mediated alteration in knee laxity in @entity1 . HYPOTHESIS: @entity742 anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament strength and stiffness are not altered by administration for 6 months of @entity172 or a selective @entity172 receptor agonist ( @entity441 ). STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: Thirty-eight mature ewes were divided into five groups: sham operation (N = 6), ovariectomy (N = 9), ovariectomy and @entity53 implant (N = 7), low-dose @entity441 (N = 9), and high-dose @entity441 (N = 7). After 6 months, the animals were sacrificed and ligaments were tested along with those from five rams' knees. RESULTS: No differences were found between treatment groups for maximum force, stiffness, @entity177 , or failure site. The ultimate stress of the rams' anterior cruciate ligaments was significantly higher than that of the ewes. CONCLUSIONS: @entity172 and @entity172 receptor agonists at physiologic levels do not lead to decreased knee ligament strength. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The female hormonal milieu may not be responsible for the increased incidence of @entity130 in female athletes compared with their male counterparts.
