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ACL Injury: Can you prevent it?

 

ACL injuries happen to mostly active individuals.  That is why it is frustrating, as it can set you back on your game or fitness routine. No athlete likes to be a couch potato.

Let’s look at if it is preventable.

There are 3 categories that influence your risk of an ACL injury: body, environmental and biomechanical.

Body factors include age, gender, and physical composition.

Environmental factors include playing surface, field conditions, and weather.

Biomechanical factors include footwear, type of sport and physical demand, and conditioning/neuromuscular coordination.

Current studies are showing that the highest incidence of ACL injuries is in the ages between 15 to 19 years of age, with significantly more females than males.¹ The suggestion is that females have a different shaped pelvis than males, as well as hormonal factors that contribute to ACL injuries.

The type of sport you play is also a factor. This would be considered part of the ‘physical demand’ criteria. There are two very important categories of ACL injuries to understand: contact and non-contact stresses. In contact injuries you are less likely to be able to prevent injury.  In an ACL injury if your joint is at the incorrect angle and the knee is contacted you will sustain an injury even if the above factors are in your favor.

So the answer is no?

Not exactly.  It has been reported that only approximately 30% of ACL injuries are from direct contact.² The majority of non-contact injuries are from slowing down to change direction, and landing from a jump. A classic example of this is soccer. Due to the aggressive change of direction that occurs in the game, there are high numbers of ACL injuries. It is not limited to soccer, however, as many sports, and activities require these movements.

 

It doesn’t seem like many of these factors are changeable. 

It’s true. You can’t fight father time, and even though doctors can perform gender re-assignment surgeries, they can’t change your genes. You may have to play on a beat up field or  in the rain, but there are critical factors that are changeable.  Conditioning and neuromuscular coordination are the key to prevention.

In a two-year study conducted by the Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Research Foundation, it was shown that there was an 88% decrease in ACL injuries in the first year, and a 74% decrease in these injuries in year two. Their primary focus was only in the training of neuromuscular coordination.

So while you may not be able to prevent every ACL injury, with the proper training in neuromuscular coordination, you can significantly lower your risks.

Talk to your local Physical Therapist about how to enhance your performance with neuromuscular coordination.

 

 

1. Renstrom et al. Br J Sports Med. 2008; 42:394-412

2. Boden et al. Orthopedics. Jun; 23(6);573-8. 2000

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