Part 3 of 3: ACL Injury Prevention
For any athlete, whether at a recreational or professional level, preventive measures should be taken in order to guard against an ACL tear. Healthy lifestyle habits are important for any individual and can help you maintain a healthy weight and exercise routine that will promote knee strength and stability. In the the specific case of preventive steps for ACL tear prevention, the combination of healthy weight maintenance and knee-specific exercises is the best way to actively work to prevent a severe knee injury.
Importance of Preventative Care:
Many ACL tears are preventable. The cure comes in the form of a comprehensive system of exercises performed by athletes at risk. Indeed, studies have shown that participation in ACL prevention programs can reduce the risk of non-contact ACL injuries by a staggering 71%. These exercises train athletes how to control their bodies to protect themselves from ACL tears as well as other injuries like ankle sprains, and overuse injuries. These protective habits can be learned with a guided ACL prevention program. There are certain ways to cut, change direction, and land from a jump which will tear the ACL, and there are other ways which will protect it. Athletes just need to be shown, and subsequently practice, the right ways. Additionally, the exercises that help protect the ACL improve core stability, speed, and strength and contribute to athletic performance.
Starting preventive care now is extremely important. Whether you have already recovered from a torn ACL or if you have never had a knee injury, preventive care should be incorporated in your weekly exercises. If you have already torn your ACL, it is possible to tear the ACL on your other leg, or even re-tear the surgically repaired ligament. In the case that you have a torn ACL, and choose to not have the ligament surgically repaired, preventive knee care will help you protect the rest of your knee in order to compensate for the missing ligament. If you have never torn your ACL, preventive care is what you can do to actively work to increase your knee strength, so that you never are faced with a torn ACL.
Healthy Lifestyle Habits:
Healthy weight maintenance not only involves what you eat, but is also affected by your exercise and sleep. Making sure that your diet, sleep, and exercise is healthy, nutritious, and sustainable is extremely important in creating a lifestyle that will promote the development of muscle that will support the surrounding physiological components that will improve overall knee strength. In order to figure out what your daily or weekly routine should look like, talk to your trainer or physician in order to address your specific needs.
Specific Knee Exercises:
The best way to prevent knee injury in sports is to strengthen your knee and the surrounding muscle, as well as train your knee to be able to absorb impact. A variety of exercises is best in order to be able to strengthen both large and small muscles that are essential to building muscle in a balanced and smart way. The goal of these exercises is to address 4 important aspects of knee health:
- Increase Range-of-motion (ROM) Through Stationary Exercises
- Increase Quadricep, Hamstring, and Calf Strength
- Increase Flexibility of Lower Extremities
- Increase Stability and Proprioception of Knee
These exercises should be supervised and scheduled by your coach, athletic trainer, and/or physical therapist in order to ensure that the exercises are being performed with proper technique, precision, and resulting in the desired effect. The key concept is to develop safe functional strategies for safe landing, decelerating, and cutting movements.
Dr. Pearle recommends that you follow this checklist in order to have a complete plan to prevent (re)tearing your ACL:
