‘Curious Conversations’ podcast: Robin Queen talks about knee injuries and recovery

Robin Queen joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the nature of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in knees. She shared insights about the common mechanisms of injury, the impact of age and gender, and the importance of recovery and prevention strategies. She also provided some general advice for athletes of all ages on injury prevention and recovery.

“Curious Conversations” is available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

Takeaways

Young athletes are at the highest risk for ACL injuries, and female athletes are 4 to 8 percent more likely to have an ACL injury than male athletes.

Queen believes the overspecialization in single sports at a young age, a lack of developing and understanding sport-specific movements, and asymmetry between limbs play roles in injury and re-injury.

Recovery from ACL injuries typically takes at least nine months, and a second injury – to the same area or one adjacent – occurs in about 30 percent of athletes who return to their sport.

About Queen

Queen is the L. Preston Wade Professor of Engineering professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics and the director of the Kevin P. Granata Biomechanics Lab at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on whole body mechanics with an emphasis on loading symmetry and functional outcomes following surgical interventions.

Learn more

Robin Queen named L. Preston Wade Professor of Engineering

Shining light on interventions to prevent re-injury in athletes

Weight or energy: ACL recovery results and implications for returning to sport

About the podcast

"Curious Conversations" is a series of free-flowing conversations with Virginia Tech researchers that take place at the intersection of world-class research and everyday life. Produced and hosted by Travis Williams, assistant director of marketing and communications for the Office of Research and Innovation, university researchers share their expertise and motivations as well as the practical applications of their work in a format that more closely resembles chats at a cookout than classroom lectures. New episodes are shared each Tuesday.