ACL Tear Prevention

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Epidemic

ACL tears are one of the most common knee injuries in our athletes, specifically our female athletes. Three bones meet to form your knee joint, thighbone (femur), shinbone (tibia), and kneecap (patella). The bones are connected by ligaments. There are four main ligaments in your knee, with the primary one being the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. This ligament is the main knee stabilizer and prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, as well as provides rotational stability to the knee. The hamstrings (back of thigh) and quadriceps (front of thigh) muscles also assist with stabilizing the knee. It’s important to keep these muscles strong to assist with knee stabilization. ACL tears usually occur without contact and are most common pivoting sports such as soccer, lacrosse, basketball, and football. 

Why is it Important to have an ACL Prevention Program?

• To aid in reducing injuries
• Assist in addressed deficits in strength and coordination of stabilizing muscles around the knee
• Focuses on proprioception and neuromuscular control
• Creates co-contraction between the hamstring and quadriceps muscles

Key components to an effective ACL Prevention Program: 

• Dynamic Warm-up
• Strengthening
• Plyometric
• Agilities

Great ACL Programs to implement into practice:

The 11+ by FIFA – A complete warm-up program

Prevent Injury, Enhance Performance (PEP) Program

Strengthening Exercises with Dr. Tucker