Physical Training Reduces Risk of ACL Injury, Especially Among Girls

In response to an increasing number of young athletes tearing their anterior cruciate ligament, the nation’s leading group of pediatricians has issued a a report that recommends ways to prevent such injuries in the first place.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends specific types of physical training that can reduce the risk of ACL injury as much as 72 percent – especially in young women, a news release states.

The AAP suggests plyometric and strengthening exercises to reduce an athlete’s risk of becoming injured. The ACL is one of four ligaments that stabilizes the knee joint, according to the AAP. Not only does it protect the knee during jumps and pivots but also when a runner slows down.

“Neuromuscular training programs strengthen lower extremity muscles, improve core stability, and teach athletes how to avoid unsafe knee positions,” said Dr. Cynthia LaBella, lead author of the report and a member of the AAO Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness.

Girls are often at higher risk for an ACL injury because when they reach the age of 12 they do not usually develop more muscle power, said Dr. Timothy Hewett, co-author of the report. As pre-teens go into puberty, they grow taller and heavier, which increases the risk of injury, the news release states.

“After puberty, girls have a ‘machine motor mismatch,’ ” said Dr. Hewett. “In contrast, boys get even more powerful relative to their body size after their growth spurt. The good news is that we’ve shown that with neuromuscular training, we can boost the power of girls’ neuromuscular engine and reduce their risk of ACL injuries.”

Female athletes between 15 and 20 years old account for the largest number of ACL injuries, the release states. Among high school and college athletes, females have two to six times higher ACL injury rates than males in similar sports.

Once an athlete has an ACL tear, they can experience depression because it forces them away from their sport and its social network. “Athletes with ACL injury are up to 10 times more likely to develop early-onset degenerative knee osteoarthritis, which limits their ability to participate in sports and often leads to chronic pain and disability,” the news release states. “Research suggests half of patients with an ACL injury will develop degenerative knee osteoarthritis in 10 to 20 years.”

Although many doctors have deferred surgery until a child reaches skeletal maturity, sophisticated surgical techniques that avoid impacting the growth plate allow athletes to have surgery to stabilize the knee and return to their sport. ACL surgery is about 90 percent successful in restoring knee stability and patient satisfaction, the release states.

“In many cases, surgery plus rehabilitation can safely return the athlete back to sports in about nine months,” said Dr. William Hennrikus, co-author of the report.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

+ Learn about the Benefits of Arthroscopic ACL Reconstruction Surgery. Considered the “gold standard” for ACL injury, arthroscopic surgery allows surgeons to visualize injuries more clearly with minimal disruption to surrounding muscles and joints.

+ Will you be recovering at home from an orthopaedic surgery? Read about physical therapy programs at Bon Secours In Motion.