Oct 23, 2015 03:07 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

New research presented at the 2015 American Academy of Pediatrics Conference & Exhibition suggests that high school female athletes are more likely to experience anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries while playing basketball, soccer and lacrosse, KWWL News reported.

Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found significant risk of ACL injury among both genders, particularly in high-risk sports such as soccer, football, basketball and lacrosse. While the majority of ACL injuries occur in boys, the rate of injury per exposure is higher in girls, Medical Xpress reported.

"It has been well established that the risk for ACL tear per athletic exposure is higher in female athletes compared to males," Alex L. Gornitzky, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "As participation rates in high school athletics continues to rise significantly, it has become increasingly important to establish up-to-date, individualized injury information for high school athletes and their families, who represent a large proportion of patients visiting pediatric orthopedic and sports medicine clinics."

Specifically, in girls, the highest ACL injury risks per season were observed in soccer (1.1 percent), basketball (0.9 percent), and lacrosse (0.5 percent). In comparison, the highest risks per season for boys were observed in football (0.8 percent), lacrosse (0.4 percent), and soccer (0.3 percent).

The findings will be presented at the 2015 American Academy of Pediatrics Conference & Exhibition in Washington, D.C.

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