In the press
Why ACL tears are rising in competitive cheerleading
Dr. Green on a shift he has watched happen over a decade of treating young athletes.
What it found
- The article covers a rise in injuries in competitive cheerleading, including ACL tears, fractures and concussions.
- It follows one of Dr. Green’s own patients, Aleena Abrahamsen, who tore her ACL through overuse and whose reconstruction used her iliotibial band.
In Dr. Green’s own words
A common injury in cheer is an ACL tear. If we look at the data 10 years ago, close to 90% of the kids [with an ACL tear] played soccer, lacrosse, basketball, football and skiing. And we’re definitely seeing more cheerleading ACL injuries than we have a decade ago.
Part of it is the athleticism of these young folks. They are so strong, powerful and jumping so high [that] when they land wrong it can result in an injury,
The New York Post · 11 May 2022. Dr. Green was interviewed for the article. Read the original
The research behind it
The 6 most recent of his 12 papers on the ACL, indexed on PubMed under his Hospital for Special Surgery affiliation. Each opens on PubMed.
All 12 of his papers on this subject- Differential Arterial Supply of the ACL and PCL Revealed by 7T-qMRI, Histology, and Micro-CT Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026 Aug · Dr. Green is author 11 of 11
- Is the Greulich and Pyle Bone Atlas Suitable When Measuring Bone Age for Pediatric ACL Reconstruction in the Modern US Population? Analysis Within the PLUTO Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study Journal of pediatric orthopedics · 2026 Aug 1 · Dr. Green is author 12 of 26
- Greater Valgus Alignment in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients with a Primary ACL Tear Compared with Healthy Controls The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume · 2026 Jun 3 · Dr. Green is author 6 of 7
- Validation of the ACL Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) Scale in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients After Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026 May · Dr. Green is author 10 of 11
- Descriptive Epidemiology of Complete ACL Tears in the Skeletally Immature Population: A Prospective Multicenter PLUTO Study The American journal of sports medicine · 2025 Mar · Dr. Green is author 12 of 25
- Association of Quadriceps Tendon Harvest for ACL Reconstruction With Development of Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Patella in Pediatric Patients Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2024 Feb · Dr. Green is author 7 of 7
The patient in this article Aleena Abrahamsen Read Aleena’s story