Preventing ACL Injuries in Girls
You hear it all the time. Another girl tore her ACL. It’s becoming an epidemic. But what is an ACL? Why do girls have 2-8 times higher ACL rupture rates?2 Most importantly, can we do anything to lower their risk?
What is an ACL?
The ACL, (anterior cruciate ligament) is a band of connective tissue within the knee joint. The ACL helps to stabilize the knee. There are a few theories as to why girls are more likely to tear their ACL. Firstly is anatomical differences. Females are built differently than males. They have wider hips and possibly thinner ACLs. Secondly, is physiological differences. Female hormones have the potential to cause loosening in the structures that stabilize joints. This includes the knee. Thirdly, is musculoskeletal differences. Many studies are finding that females who suffered ACL tears exhibited more trunk sway than men or uninjured women after landing a jump or completing a plant to switch directions. This suggests that girls (or boys) who have more difficulty controlling their trunks during acceleration and deceleration are at a higher risk for rupturing an ACL.
Preventative Measures
Trunk control is something that can be trained. Programs run by athletic trainers and physical therapists that focus on proprioceptive training, balance, and core strength are becoming more and more popular as a way to minimize any athlete’s risk of ACL injury. By training the muscles around the knee, hip, and core, the amount of trunk sway that occurs during jumping, landing, and cutting movements can be decreased. In turn, the risk of suffering a lower extremity injury, including an ACL tear, is reduced. These programs begin when kids are young and help to identify kids who are at higher risk. The programs can then grow to specifically address each person’s needs.
1. Children’s Hospital Boston. Sports Injury Statistics. August 2011. Available at: http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1112/mainpageS1112P0.html
2. Souryal, Tarek O and Consuelo T Lorenzo, Consuelo T. June 29, 2011. Rehabilitation for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury. Available at: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/307161-overview#a0199.