Sunday, July 15, 2012

Teens and ACL tears

 Year-Round Sports: Teens and ACL Tears

Year-round sports increase the incidence of athletic injuries. Sports like soccer are played year-round. The high exposure rate to practice and competition increases the exposure to injury, namely, Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears of the knee. To reduce the incidence of injury the athlete must adequately train and recover the body; better preparing for the upcoming season, or competitive demand of the sport.

Youth sports has increased seasons making many sports a year round commitment. Youth soccer has a highly competitive Club season that is immediately followed by the high school season. This results in increased exposure to injury, and little time to adequately rest, recover and prepare for the upcoming season. Specific sports conditioning is a must for injury prevention






The year-round cycle of sports training must include a periodized strength and conditioning program. This periodized program addresses off-season, pre-season and in-season training guidelines. The sport-specific periodized program schedules varied training intensities for improved fitness in areas of strength, speed and endurance, power, agility and core conditioning.


Preparing the Joint to Dynamic Loading: Hopping

Preparation of the athlete for return to play following ACL injury requires simulating loads to the joint that will be experienced in specific-sport. Running, change of direction and acceleration and deceleration place increase joint stress on the knee. Progressive resistive strengthening and single and double leg hops are performed to meet the dynamic nature of the activity(soccer, football, basketball), with careful inspection of the athletes' ability to control the joint forces. Specifically, the athlete must be able to control the valgus(adduction) stress of the activity, in this case hopping.




A year-round Sports Conditioning Program that is periodized to address the individual, and the ebb and flow of the competitive season, is essential for maintaining high level performance and health in the young athlete.

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Check out this link for more information:

Teens & ACL tears: More year-round sports lead to injuries - WNEM TV 5

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