Afraid That You are at Risk for an ACL Injury?

At one time, it seemed that the majority of injuries or tears to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament happened to professional athletes. In recent studies, however, it is estimated that there are nearly 200,000 ACL-related injuries annually in the United States. Unfortunately, females are up to 9.7 times more likely to have ACL injuries than males.

There are a variety of non-contact ways to tear your ACL including (but not exclusive to):

• Trying to slow down while running
• Jumping and landing off balance
• Leaping and landing on one foot
• Quick change of direction
• Jumping and landing with stiff legs/knees

Why do non-contact ACL injuries occur?

Poor functional movement is the main cause of non-contact ACL injuries. Muscles of the hips and legs that are tight and weak and/or lack of coordination can produce abnormal stress on the joints they surround. During the activity, joints can be limited in motion by stressed muscles and produce abnormal stress on the ligaments that hold the joint together. The ligaments are then unable to handle the stress load on the joint and can tear.

Why is the ACL injury rate so high among young females?

Young women have a higher rate of ACL injuries for two main reasons:

1. During adolescence, young women are beginning to develop wider hips, producing greater biomechanical stresses in the knee joints.
2. Young women are less likely to have muscle mass developed around the hips and legs to adequately control stress on the knee.

If you suspect you are at increased risk for ACL injury, you may want to find an ACL Injury Prevention Program or Sports Performance program to evaluate what you have to work on to avoid injury. Reddy-Care Physical & Occupational Therapy offers an Athletic screening program and ACL Injury prevention program. These programs are administered by physical therapists who evaluate an individual's risk for injury based on medical history, anatomical screen, functional screen, running analysis and sport position played (if applicable). After the screen, problem areas are identified and an exercise program can be designed to address these areas. This program can not only reduce the risk of ACL or other injuries, but can improve sports performance.

If you have any questions regarding ACL injury prevention or Athletic screening please call us at 516-829-0030!

Reference: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/89442-overview

Author

Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy is an outstanding specialty service providing exceptional care and state-of-the-art treatments for the residents of Farmingdale and Great Neck, New York. The combination of innovative exercise programs, manual therapy, and technology together with the expertise of every member of the team enables Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy to provide services that ensure superior clinical outcomes and consistently high patient satisfaction.