Detection and assessment of microdamage accumulation on the Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury is so common that it has become a household name in the Australian Sports community notably in the Australian Football League (AFL). ACL injury due to overuse (ACL fatigue failure) may explain many of the injuries in the absence of knee contact. However, not much is known about the accumulation of damage prior to an ACL overuse injury. This thesis aims to better understand how damage from overuse builds up and is removed in the ACL, in the hope that we can prevent and reduce the number of ACL injuries on the pitch.