Abstract

Background: Knee stability is provided by multiple structures serving as primary and secondary stabilizers. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the knee joint’s primary stabilizer with the highest incidence of injury reported in athletes. This study aimed at assessing the knowledge and awareness of ACL injury among adults in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out during the year 2022-2023 using an electronic questionnaire with 431 participants from different areas of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26, and the chi-square test. A p-value of 0.05 was considered the level of significance for all analyses used in the study.
Results: The results showed that 71.5% of the study sample (431) were males. The average ages were (18-25) and then (41-45) years, and most of the study sample were married (61.7%). Around 53.8% were employees, and more than half of the participants (58%) were university students. The majority (87.7%) had previously heard of ACL from various sources, mainly from friends and the internet/television. Most participants (65.4%) believed that the ACL injury was severe. Most of the study sample (92.6%) believed that postoperative physical therapy was crucial, and more than half of the study sample (59.6%) believed that living with an ACL injury was possible.
Conclusion: The study revealed that Saudi Arabian in Eastern province had a high level of knowledge and awareness about the prevalence of ACL injuries among adults.

Key words: ACL ligament, knee injuries, sports medicine, Eastern province.