In-School Prevention Programs May Be A Viable Solution To Reduce The Risk For ACL Injuries
Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are one of the biggest problems in sports. Approximately 100,000–200,000 ACL tears occur each year in the U.S., and one of the most at-risk populations is adolescents, particularly females. ACL injuries account for about 21% of knee injuries in young athletes, and young females have a two to eight times higher risk for these injuries compared to their male counterparts.
Differences in Development & Behaviors May Lead to Increased Injury Risk
There are several reasons for this disparity, including differences in the structure of the knee joint—which is looser and more flexible in females—landing patterns in sports, genetics, and hormonal and neuromuscular differences between males and females. Strength also develops at different times during puberty for females compared to males, which is believed to be another important contributing factor.
To make matters worse, ACL injuries are often not isolated incidents, as they may damage surrounding tissue and increase the likelihood of chronic knee problems like secondary injuries and early osteoarthritis in the future. But the good news is that research suggests many of these injuries can be prevented because about 70% of ACL tears occur without contact.
For this reason, numerous prevention programs have been established to reduce the rate of ACL injuries in high-risk populations, including adolescent female athletes. ACL prevention programs incorporate interventions like balance training, stretching, strength training, and plyometrics (jumping exercises) into a comprehensive framework that’s performed regularly, and research has shown that these programs are beneficial.
Recent study shows why these programs are frequently recommended
For example, one recently published study investigated the effectiveness of a strength-based prevention program for reducing the risk of ACL injury in adolescent females. For the study, a team of researchers identified 30 healthy female middle school students between grades 6 to 8 and matched them with another group of 30 healthy females of similar age, height, and weight. The first group served as the strength-training group and the second group served as the control group.
Individuals in the first group underwent a six-month strength training program administered through a gym class curriculum that targeted the muscles of the hips and knees, with the intention of improving hip extension and knee extension and flexion. The control group did not undergo any specific interventions. All patients were evaluated before and after the six-month period for various measures of strength and range of motion (ROM).
Study Results – Improve Strength & Agility
Results showed that females in the strength training group had greater strength values in hip extension, hip abduction, and knee flexion compared to the control group. The strength training program also led to significantly lower scores compared to the control group in a test called the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), which is used to the risk of non-contact injuries during jumping and landing movements. These findings show that a strength training program for middle school females leads to several improvements that are associated with a reduced risk for ACL injuries. This program is also easy to implement since it was performed during gym class and could therefore represent a practical option for addressing the issue of frequent ACL injuries in youth sports.
Contact Us Today for Help
If you’re currently dealing with symptoms suggestive of knee osteoarthritis, Bacci & Glinn Physical Therapy can help.
Call us at 559-733-2478 (Visalia) or 559-582-1027 (Hanford) to learn more or schedule an appointment today.
