Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Preventing a Season-Ending Injury: Namely the ACL Tear

It's double game point of semi-finals. You've been playing hard all weekend and your team can either lose now and be done, or play one last game for all the glory. However, after this play, you're done for the next 6+ months whether you want to be or not, because you tried to catch a pass over your head and came down wrong. You heard a loud POP! in your knee as you collapse to the grass.

This is an example of the unfortunate, yet frequent incident: tearing the anterior cruciate ligament. Of the four ligaments in the knee joint, the ACL is the most commonly injured, with the majority of cases being young (under 25) athletes, mostly female athletes. I myself tore my right ACL in March 2010, and had surgery 2 weeks later. Going through that experience has made me a stronger, more aware person and led me to my new-found passion for Physical Therapy. However, it could have been avoided with knowledge and prevention measures. It is important for ultimate players, especially women, to educate themselves about ACL injury prevention. The following information is my efforts to spread the ACL word.

Words from the Wise, i.e. Dr. John Xerogeanes.

Dr. X, as he is more commonly known, is an Emory orthopedic surgeon at the Emory Orthopaedic & Spine Center. Here is a video of his advice to preventing this injury. To summarize his video, these are the ways you can decrease the likelihood of tearing your ACL:

1. Make your body stronger. This includes incorporating exercises into your routine that make your body strong, pliable, and have more endurance.

2. Landing correctly after jumping. Make sure your knees are straight forward, not towards each other, when you land by looking in a mirror.

3. There are special ACL tear prevention programs you can participate in for further knowledge about this subject.

I hope this has helped you learn more about ACL tear prevention. Spread the word to your teammates!