The ACL, or the anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the key ligaments in the knee that work to stabilize the knee by preventing the shin bone from sliding in front of the thigh bone. The ACL is the most common torn ligament in the knee.
When you tear the ACL, most people hear a pop in the knee at the time of the injury, followed by significant pain and swelling. Often it is difficult to weight bear.
According to the American Journal of Sports Medicine, in the U.S. there are between 200,000 – 250,000 ACL injuries per year. This mainly consists of the age group under 20 or older than 40. A growing group experiencing ACL injuries are the weekend warriors. There are a few reasons why we may be seeing an increase in ACL injuries in this older population.
- Just like kids today who mainly play one sport, we see this with adults as well. This leads to the overdevelopment of some muscles and the underdevelopment of others.
- Adults tend to spend a large part of their day sitting and being mostly inactive during the day. They then go from 0% activity to 100% of intense activity, without anything in between, resulting in an increased chance of injury.
Prevention of ACL Injury
- It is important for the weekend warrior to pinpoint weaknesses in their core, hips, knee and proprioception (unconscious awareness of movement and spatial orientation).
- Injury prevention should involve single leg training for activities such as soccer as these activities involve standing on a single leg most of the time.
- Focus of Balance. The majority of ACL injuries that occur during sports activities result from quick change of direction, sudden slowdown, a faulty landing or a collision. Improving balance and strengthening the small muscles of the feet and ankle can help prevent twists and pivots which could damage an ACL.
- Don’t forget to warm up and stretch before. Cold, stiff muscles are far more prone to injury. Warming up prior to your sport can help loosen up muscles which in turn can help prevent injuries.
If you have suffered an ACL, or other injury, call the Durham Orthopedic & Sports Injury Clinic at 905-428-7800 and see one of our physiotherapists, who will help you get back on the road to recovery.
