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Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury Prevention Program

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is costly, with conservative estimates of surgery & rehabilitation at $17,000-$25,000 per injury. This is in addition to potential loss of the entire season for sports participation, long-term disability & significantly greater risk of radiography diagnosed #osteoarthritis. An ACL injury occurs with a 4 to 6 time greater incidence in female athletes compared to males playing the same landing and cutting sports.

The mechanism underlying gender is likely multi-factorial in nature. Several theories have been proposed to explain the mechanism underlying the gender differences in ACL injury rates. This #theories included related extrinsic (physical & visual perturbations, bracing & shoe-surface interaction) and intrinsic (anatomic, hormonal, neuromuscular, and biomechanical differences between genders) variables. The authors studied young athletes for nearly a decade.

They have been tracking all the 6th through 12th-grade female Soccer, Basketball, & volleyball players, by assessing biomechanical performance & following the athletes longitudinally for injury when video sequences of an actual ACL injury are examined, it appears there are 4 common motor performance components that occur, especially in women.

As the at-risk female athletes' lands, her knee buckles inward >< The injured knee is relatively straight most if not all of her weight is on a single lower extremity. Finally, her trunk tends to be tilted laterally. In summary, her center of mass is outside of her base of foot support. These same mechanisms also occur in men but the exaggeration of the positioning of the lower extremities and trunk is much greater in women. Authors highlighted 4 common components of the typical mechanism of injury were 4 neuromuscular imbalances that they term. 1- Ligament dominance 2- Quadriceps dominance 3- Leg dominance 4- Trunk dominance Existing evidence suggests that these 4 neuromuscular imbalances may be associated with the underlying ACL injury mechanisms. Therefore, these imbalances should be screened for individual athletes Identification of faulty movement patterns would allow for the implementation of specific interventions, targeted at prevention.

Our Approach

In Dublin Sports Injury Clinic we have a holistic approach to our assessment and treatment. The initial assessment helps us to explore the Risk Factors. As a part of your session, we will educate you regarding the Risk Factors more in details and we show you the current research studies. We design a customized training program to start you with (depend on your sport) and we will coach you closely step by step. The timeline and period of the program could be varied for every individual. We do not only coach you on the physical aspects, but we also help you to develop the mental aspects of your game. Next step Want to get in touch with our team of a therapist or you are looking for some advice? Simply fill in your details below & we get in touch with you shortly. Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. You can contact us if you would like to book an appointment or get some advice from our therapist.