ACL Injury Prevention And Treatment

If you are an athlete who is involved in running, jumping, and pivoting sports, you are probably well aware of the common anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in athletes like you. These injuries may result from a direct blow to the knee which causes excessive angulation of the joint. The vast majority of these injuries are non-contact and occur from maneuvers such as cutting, pivoting, decelerating, changing direction, or landing from a jump.

• Improve Your Conditioning. Taking proper steps toward improving your strength and stability can be effective to help reduce your risk of ACL injuries. Effective training programs often include: aerobic conditioning, plyometric exercises, jump training, strength training, and improving your balance. Risk awareness training also makes an important addition to such a regimen.

• Strengthen Your Hamstrings. Building strength in the hamstring muscles is an important preventive measure. This is especially true for female athletes as they generally have relatively weaker hamstrings as compared to their quadriceps.

• Use Proper Techniques. For athletes involved in pivoting and jumping sports (soccer, basketball, football, etc), learning proper cutting and landing techniques is vital. Again, most injuries (80%) are non-contact and occur during movements such as cutting, pivoting, decelerating, changing direction, and landing from a jump. Improper technique during these maneuvers in which the knee collapses inward (knock-kneed) are more likely to result in an ACL injury. Learning proper techniques and focusing on strengthening the hip muscles and core to improve cutting and landing performance is essential.

• Check Your Gear. For certain sports, such as downhill skiing, ensuring that your gear is adjusted correctly is a final important preventive step to take. Seek out a trained professional who can guide you through the proper adjustment of such gear.