Re: ACL Injury prevention

[Guest guest]

Relevant to previous discussions:

Prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players.

Part 2: A review of prevention programs aimed to modify risk factors and to

reduce injury rates.Alentorn-Geli E, Myer GD, Silvers HJ, Samitier G, Romero D,

Lázaro-Haro C, Cugat R.

Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009 Jun 9. [Epub ahead of print] Links

Soccer is the most commonly played sport in the world, with an estimated 265

million active soccer players participating in the game as on 2006. Inherent to

this sport is the higher risk of injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)

relative to other sports. ACL injury causes a significant loss of time from

competition in soccer, which has served as the strong impetus to conduct

research that focuses to determine the risk factors for injury, and more

importantly, to identify and teach techniques to reduce this injury in the

sport. This research emphasis has afforded a rapid influx of literature aimed to

report the effects of neuromuscular training on the risk factors and the

incidence of non-contact ACL injury in high-risk soccer populations.

The purpose of the current review is to sequence the most recent literature

relating the effects of prevention programs that were developed to alter risk

factors associated with non-contact ACL injuries and to reduce the rate of

non-contact ACL injuries in soccer players. To date there is no standardized

intervention program established for soccer to prevent non-contact ACL injuries.

Multi-component programs show better results than single-component preventive

programs to reduce the risk and incidence of non-contact ACL injuries in soccer

players. Lower extremity plyometrics, dynamic balance and strength, stretching,

body awareness and decision-making, and targeted core and trunk control appear

to be successful training components to reduce non-contact ACL injury risk

factors (decrease landing forces, decrease varus/valgus moments, and increase

effective muscle activation) and prevent non-contact ACL injuries in soccer

players, especially in female athletes. Pre-season injury prevention combined

with an in-season maintenance program may be advocated to prevent injury.

Compliance may in fact be the limiting factor to the overall success of ACL

injury interventions targeted to soccer players regardless of gender. Thus,

interventional research must also consider techniques to improve compliance

especially at the elite levels which will likely influence trickle down effects

to sub-elite levels.

Future research is also needed for male soccer athletes to help determine the

most effective intervention to reduce the non-contact ACL injury risk factors

and to prevent non-contact ACL injuries.

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Carruthers

Wakefield, UK