RT Journal
T1 LIgamentous laxity in athletes
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 1979
FD April 20
VO 241
IS 16
SP 1683
OP 1683
DO 10.1001/jama.1979.03290420011004
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1979.03290420011004
AB To the Editor.— 
    The article by William A. Grana, MD, and J. Alfred Moretz, MD (240:1975, 1978), "Ligamentous Laxity in Secondary School Athletes," states: "there is conflicting information about the importance of ligamentous laxity or its usefulness as an indicator of predisposition to injury in the individual athlete." This is specifically in regard to Nicholas' initial landmark publication (212:2236, 1970). For the record, the concluding sentence of this article is as follows: "Independent of many other factors responsible for injury in football, an increased likelihood of ligamentous rupture of the knee occurred in loose-jointed football players and of muscle tears in tight-jointed football players." Careful critics will note that no single study attempts to duplicate Nicholas' findings with a professional football team but instead uses different populations (eg, Grana and Moretz), different testing procedures (Kalenak and Morehouse), and different criteria for injury (Grana and Moretz, Kalenak and Morehouse, and Godshall).