In September 2018 researchers from the USA published the results of their study to assess the potential long-term medical consequences associated with a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. 3,506 former National Football League players who had played since 1960 were involved in the study. Information was collected via a self-administered questionnaire and included the reporting of physician-diagnosed medical conditions. Results showed that those individuals who had torn their anterior cruciate ligament had approximately a two-fold increase in musculoskeletal medical conditions, including knee joint replacement and arthritis, when compared with those without anterior cruciate ligament tears. In addition, those with a history of anterior cruciate ligament tears were also seen to have more than a 50% increased risk of a heart attack and a slight increase in sleep apnoea.
Meehan WP et al. Relation of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears to Potential Chronic Cardiovascular diseases. Am J Cardiol. 2018 Sep 7.. [Epub ahead of print]