ACL Prevention Protocol.

For a quick reference to an ACL prevention protocol check out the PEP aka The Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance Group.  For those who want to dive in deeper, hang around with me.

In 2018 the JOSPT (Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy) published a Current Practice Guideline for “Exercise-Based Knee and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention”. Current Practice Guidelines are a gold standard for the most up to date information and it’s application. This guideline is a summary of many years of hard work by many clinicians and scientists who meticulously studied what works and what does not in preventing ACL injuries. For athletes it is kind of like the heavens have opened up and an amazing gift has been given to them. Please reference this article as the bible for ACL injury prevention. Now the question just remains how do I use this gift?

Who can benefit from ACL injury prevention?

Anyone who participates in a sport that requires jumping, cutting and rotational movements can benefit from training. Some common sports in no particular order are: basketball, volleyball, football, skiing, soccer, gymnastics, lacrosse, ice hockey and wrestling. Girls’ soccer takes home the gold for the highest rate of ACL injuries. However, football players have the highest number of ACL injuries. Notice the difference between the words rate of injury vs. number of injuries. Another big difference is the fact that a lot of football injuries happen due to the high contact nature of the sport. Meanwhile 80% of soccer ACL injuries are non-contact. The most susceptible age is 14-19 years old according to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Current Concepts Statement. So, if you are a Female Middle School or High School athlete playing soccer ACL injury prevention exercises are an absolute must for you!

When should I start the ACL prevention exercises?

The NCAA Women’s Soccer injury data sheet showed that soccer players are most likely to sustain an ACL injury during the pre-season due to being untrained. The second most likely scenario is during the game due to fatigue. Based on these facts the recommended time to start the prevention program is in pre-season and train at LEAST 2-3x/week, followed by 1x/week in-season training.

What is an ACL prevention protocol?

An ACL prevention protocol is a set of exercises that athletes need to perform during pre-season and in-season. The exercises must include these 6 components: Flexibility, Running, Strength, Plyometrics, Core Stability and Neuromuscular training.

In addition to the six types of exercises an athlete must be compliant. Compliance is a two factor component. First, an athlete must perform the exercises correctly in order for them to reach their intended muscle groups and purpose. Second, the athlete must complete the exercises consistently for the length of the season. Lastly, the exercises need to be progressive, they need to get harder as the athlete gains new skills.

How effective are ACL injury prevention protocols?

Various studies quote 70-80% reduction rates for non-contact ACL injuries! That’s pretty incredible! It goes to show just how powerful proper training and screening can be.

I want to participate in ACL injury prevention training!

If you are interested in learning more about whether you are at risk for non-contact ACL injury and how you can prevent it, call us today at 609-975-9421!