As an athlete, there are few things worse than being sidelined due to an injury. An ACL injury in particular can be crushing because the ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the major ligaments that provides stability to the knee joint.
These injuries take place most frequently in sports that involve sudden changes of direction, like football and soccer. Over 200,000 ACL injuries occur every year in the U.S. and reports show that injury rates continue to rise. The National Athletic Trainer’s Association (NATA) recently unveiled its recommendations and important things athletic trainers’ should know about ACL injuries.
Here are 10 things you should know about ACL injuries:
1. ACL injuries occur in all sports, but are most frequent when playing football, basketball and soccer.
2. Female athletes are more likely to experience ACL injury than male athletes.
3. 50% of ACL injuries are accompanied by damage to other ligaments or cartilage in the knee.
4. Surgery is generally recommended when dealing with a combination of injuries in the knee.
5. 70% of ACL injuries sustained occur during non-contact sports, while 30% occur during contact sports.
6. 50% of athletes diagnosed with an ACL injury will develop osteoarthritis within 10 to 20 years of injury.
7. Preventative training done 2 to 3 times a week can reduce the risk of ACL injury.
8. Preventative training program exercises take 10 to 15 minutes to complete and include stretching, strength training, jump training and improvements to balance and technique.
9. Studies show preventative training programs can reduce ACL and other traumatic knee injuries by 50%.
10. Preventative training program exercises have been shown to improve an athlete’s vertical leap, aerobic fitness and sprint speed.
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