ACL Injury Prevention - Taking the First Step
I receive several calls per year from the parents of young athletes who have either completely torn or sprained their ACL through non-contact mechanisms. This means that they did not collide or get hit by another player, they just planted their foot and pop goes the knee. The ACL is a key ligament in the knee that provides stability. These phone calls alarm me because tearing your ACL is a big deal, for athletes it means reconstructive surgery and months of rehab before they return to competition.
There is evidence to suggest that faulty muscle recruitment patterns may contribute to these non-contact injuries. An over utilization of the quadriceps, mis-timing of the hamstrings co-contraction and under utilization of the quadriceps may set up the right environment for ACL tears. Alignment at the hip, knees and ankles may also play a key role.
How do you know if you have poor alignment or a faulty recruitment pattern? Your best option may be to get a thorough assessment from your sport physiotherapist, but here are two tests you can try at home:
• Stand facing a full length mirror and jump straight up in the air. Absorb the landing with your legs such that you finish in a half squat position. Are your knees pointing inward? If yes, you need to work on your dynamic alignment.
• Now, stand sideways to that full length mirror. Jump up in the air and absorb the landing with your legs such that you finish in a half squat position. Are your heels off the floor or is your weight shifted toward the balls of your feet after you have landed? If yes, you may be exhibiting some quadriceps dominance.
Follow the workout below to learn some Level One exercises that may help reduce the risk of ACL tears in athletes. These exercises are intended to help teach proper landing mechanics and recruitment of the glutes. Perform the squat jump exercise in front of a mirror. This will allow you to evaluate your technique as you perform the exercise.
Level One
The goal of this program is to be time efficient, while training fundamental movement skills and glute muscle activation which lays the foundation for more advanced ACL injury prevention programs. Perform the following exercises 3 times per week on non-consecutive days.
1) Squat Jump with alignment emphasis
a) Do this exercise in front of a mirror.
b) Keep your hips, knees and ankles in a straight line during take off and landing, do not let your knees pinch inward.
c) Absorb through your hips, knees and ankles on the landing making a soft landing with your heels quickly coming to rest on the floor after the balls of your feet make the initial contact.
d) When you come to rest in the ½ squat position, your heels should be down and your chest should be up.
e) If you are absorbing properly, your landing should be nice and quiet.
f) Do 3 sets of 5-10 repetitions. The emphasis during this phase is on quality of movement, not height of jump.
Glute Bridge with Heels on Ball
a) Lie face-up on the floor with your heels and lower calves resting on a stability ball.
b) Tighten your buttocks as you lift your hips and back off the floor as one unit; do not ‘roll’ your back up.
c) Squeeze glutes (butt) at the top of the lift. Hold this position for 3 seconds.
d) Slowly lower your hips back to the starting position.
e) You should feel this exercise primarily in the glutes; you may also feel your hamstrings and lower back working.
f) Do 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.
The preceding exercises are intended for healthy, uninjured athletes. They are not intended to treat injury. If you experience discomfort during any of the exercises, stop immediately and consult your preferred sport medicine professional.
Recognized strength coach, Maria Mountain, MSc, CSCS helps athletes from Canada, the United States and Europe perform at levels beyond their expectations. To download her FREE SPECIAL REPORT - HOW TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ACL TEARS visit http://www.revolutionconditioning.com
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