Tips to Avoid ACL Injuries Among Youth Sports Participants Skip to main content

🔴 Rated Top El Paso Doctor & Specialist by ✔️ RateMD* | Years 2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019

Chiropractic Podcast

Tips to Avoid ACL Injuries Among Youth Sports Participants



With April being Youth Sports Month, Orthopaedic Institute for Children (OIC) shines a spotlight on what it notes is becoming an epidemic among youth sports—ACL injuries.

“ACL injuries have become a youth sports epidemic and are the No. 1 sports injury we operate on at our outpatient surgical center,” says Jennifer Beck, MD, associate director of the Center for Sports Medicine at the Orthopaedic Institute for Children, in a media release.

“The injury is most common in sports that involve sudden changes of direction—such as football and soccer—but fortunately there are some basic things athletes can do to lessen the chance of injury.”

Beck notes in the release that most ACL injuries are not the result of contact with another player but rather occur during sudden twisting motions (such as when the feet are planted one way and the knees are turned another way), or when landing from a jump. Factors that can contribute to ACL injuries include biomechanical issues such as muscle strength and leg alignment, as well as sport technique and preparation.

Young athletes can reduce their risk for ACL injuries by performing training drills that require balance, jumping, power, and agility.

“Drills such as these also help improve neuromuscular conditioning and muscular reactions and have shown to ultimately decrease the risk of ACL injury,” Beck adds.

Other exercises could include focused stretches, leg raises, leg lifts, prone hip extensions, and sidesteps.

Along with these tips, the OIC Center for Sports Medicine advises parents and coaches to ensure that young athletes don’t skip the warm-ups, drink enough fluids, use proper equipment, and never play through pain.

“We want children to have fun, but it is also important to have a common sense approach to playing and to not ignore injury,” Beck shares. “While rest, ice, and ibuprofen can help reduce basic soreness, if pain persists parents should contact a physician. Failure to address a sports injury properly and promptly can lead to lifelong problems.”

[Source(s): Orthopaedic Institute for Children, Business Wire]

Testimonies & Case Studies

Today's Chiropractic

Trending: Back Pain Insights

Location Near You

MEET THE STAFF

Legal Disclaimers & Scope Of Practice

General Disclaimer

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to contact us. Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN* email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com phone: 915-850-0900 Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*