Protect the ACL

You can click on the links to see the injury.

The Boston Celtics have suffered many injuries this season. Recently, they have suffered three significant injuries. One player, Jared Sullinger is out for the season due to back spasms and consequently back surgery. In addition, two other players, Rajon Rondo and Leandro Barbosa, are out due to...

ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tears. Yes, the dreaded ACL tears.

In recent occurrences, we have seen high-caliber players injury their ACL's, including Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, RGIII of the Washington Redskins, Wes Welker of the New England Patriots, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, and as of February 13, 2013, Nerlens Noel of the University of Kentucky (this post was originally compiled on February 12th). Peterson's injury was the only one of these five athletes who suffered a contact injury. The other four suffered non-contact injuries, which happens often in sports.

You do not have to be an avid sports fan to know that the ACL is an important ligament. We all have one unless yours has been completely severed. The injury can happen to anyone. However, so much thought and planning has gone into protecting athletes and non-athletes from ACL tears. Albeit, it is difficult to avoid an ACL tear in a high impact game like football if the ACL is already in position to be injured as in Adrian Peterson's case.

To note: Adrian Peterson (a.k.a, "All-Day") came back this past NFL season to win the league MVP award and almost break the all-time single season rushing record. So, there is hope in ACL rehabilitation and post-performance results.

Rondo, Rose, Welker and Barbosa all suffered their injury from either cutting or landing. Their hips. You have to watch their hips. The hips and feet were not aligned while making the cut. They know it. Someone on the rehabilitation staff has already told me or they will tell me. If you have played a sport, you have most likely heard a coach utter the words, "keep your feet under your hips!"

Keep Your Feet Under Your Hips
When your feet are positioned well, you can move well. ACL tears most often occur in rotational, cutting, landing, and change of direction movements. If you look closely at everyone's mechanism of injury, you will notice that one of these movements was performed. Athletes, however, are not the only ones who sustain ACL tears. The sedentary individual and the recreational exerciser are subject to...the tear!

Training in Avoidance
Training protocols call for really sound movement in the lower body. Specifically, glute strength, hamstring strength, and quadriceps strength are key factors. An unsung muscle group that provides protection is the gastrocnemius or the calf muscle. So, upper body fanatics...do not skip leg day! In addition to strength, mobility patterns are extremely important in avoiding non-contact ACL tears. For example, to have the ability to move side-to-side is one skill. But, to move side-to-side  with proper weight shift is another skill. Yes, it can be taught.

Weight Shifting
Saying it too fast sounds like "weightlifting". But, you can practice weight shifting in the comfort of your own home:

Exercise #1: Get in to a squat position with your feet a little wider than your hips. Shift your weight to the left. In this new position, your right leg should be extended while your left knee is bent. Now, shift your weight to the right side. You may look somewhat like a skater in this position.

It is just a preliminary way to train ACL movement mechanisms. However, once proper weight shifting is mastered, then the speed, weight, and volume can increase. The shifting will be automatic when running through drills.

Protect the knee. Protect the ACL.

Purpose and Development,
Derek

Derek Arledge, CSCS                      TEEM Performance Training                      www.teempt.com