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The ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most common places for an injury to occur, especially in sports such as football and soccer where there is a sudden change in direction and constant wear and tear on the knee. The ACL is one of the four major ligaments that help with the stability in a knee.
The most common way to injure an ACL is when one might be landing a jump or changing directions so this injury is not caused by physical contact within a sport most of the time. It can even happen when opponents pull at soccer jerseys or at a football shirt to contest a ball.
Being a young athlete under the age of 25, and especially a female is putting you at a much higher risk to be a victim of this knee injury. It is said that women might be at a higher risk in being injured this way, possibly due to hormone levels in ligament stability and strength, but also a difference in neuromuscular control amongst women and men.
Although, ACL injuries are very common, they can easily be prevented for the most part by: Strength and balance training as well as stability drills. If you’re off balance, you’re going to land awkwardly and damage it. Ever heard of a cat doing their ACL? These types of work outs are known as plyometric exercises, they help build power and balance. Also, these plyometric exercises improve neuromuscular strength and assist muscular reactions. This day most professional athletic teams are holding conditioning programs to be done routinely, this being more so on female athletes as opposed to the male athlete.
To be the most efficient in preventing this type of injury, one needs to perform helpful exercises to the knee 2–3 times a day, especially when involved big time in a sport. This injury doesn’t just occur in sports, but can also be caused from your daily activites. It never hurt to be proactive and work to prevent this knee injury.
At least if you keep yourself in prime condition, you are less likely to succumb to this injury via a non-contact method. Obviously if someone falls across your knee at the wrong angle, it’s going to damage it no matter who you are.
The road to recover if you do injure it and need surgery is pretty long. It’s a usual 9-12 month stint on the sidelines before you can play competitive sports again but the most critical thing is not to return too soon before the knee is ready. Always consult your medical expert before putting your knees under the rigors of sport again
Stay safe
My goal here is to talk about not only the game of soccer itself but also getting in shape for the soccer season.
