In this April 8, 2011, file photo, Aliya Mustafina of Russia gets assistance after suffering from an injury at the vault during the women's individual all-around gymnastics final of the Artistic Gymnastics European Championships in Berlin, Germany. Photo: AP Photo/Gero Breloer,File/MCT
Watch your knees, girls.

A new study in Pediatrics, the journal for the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that anterior cruciate ligament injuries are on the rise, and girls are more likely to get this injury than their male friends.

In the U.S. study, girls playing the same sport as boys are 2.5 to 6.2 times more likely to have an ACL injury than boys. ######

About 70 percent of these injuries happen when there is no contact with another player at all.

Usually, you feel a pop in the knee and then see swelling, says Dr. Randall Schultz, an orthopedic surgeon with Texas Orthopedics. ######

It's not something you have to go to the emergency room for, he says, but you should see a doctor the next day or after the weekend is over to see what's going on and what needs to be done. In the meantime, put ice on it and use crutches to try to stay off it, Schultz says.

Sports where kids stop suddenly and turn a different direction usually are the common offenders: soccer, gymnastics, volleyball and basketball. ###### Locally, doctors see all of these, plus cheerleading and dance.

The risk goes up for girls once they hit age 12 or 13 and for boys around age 14 or 15. Why? Puberty. ###### For girls, hormones also make the ligaments more lax. In boys, the testosterone surge actually helps them increase muscular power and control, allowing them to handle the rapid skeletal growth better.

The number of kids with ACL injuries is on the rise because more kids are focusing on one sport intensely all year with few breaks. ######

The treatment now is also different. It used to be that you would keep the knee immobile, but now ACL tears require surgery to replace them.]]>