ACL Injuries, Treatment and Prevention
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center offers a full array of treatment for ACL injury prevention, detection and treatment.
ACL Injuries
ACL injuries are one of the most common severe knee injuries in sports. They affect the lives of more than 250,000 people in the United States each year -- most of them women. The highest incidence of ACL injuries is in individuals 15 to 25 years old who participate in sports which require pivoting, such as soccer or basketball. Studies show that females are about five times more likely to sustain a rupture of the ACL than males.
Lack of Treatment Can Cause Serious Damage
The ACL is located inside the knee joint and stabilizes the joint by preventing the shinbone (tibia) from sliding forward beneath the thighbone (femur). A hard twist or excessive pressure on the ACL can tear it, so that the knee gives out and can no longer support the body. Unless an injured ACL is accurately diagnosed and treated, the cushioning cartilage (the menisci) in the knee could be seriously damaged. Without this cushion, the thighbone and the shinbone would rub against each other, leading to further damage.
Prevention Program for Female Athletes
The world-renowned team at the Human Performance Laboratory in the Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center designed a prevention program for female athletes by utilizing a state-of-the-art 3D motion analysis and teaching proper landing techniques known generally as neuromuscular training.
The prevention program seeks to:
- Enhance balance
- Body / joint awareness
- Movement technique
- Muscle strength, specifically in the hamstring
In a study conducted by the Sports Medicine Biodynamics team, female athletes trained three days a week for 90 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of stretching exercises. The results demonstrated an improvement in speed, jumping ability and agility. In contrast, the control group demonstrated no significant increase in improvement in the areas being measured.
The Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center team has since developed a model that predicts which females are likely to suffer knee injuries.
Sports Medicine . . . Just for Kids!
