ACL Knee Injury

Could an ACL knee injury be the most dreaded injury in sports?

More feared than a concussion, fractures, ankle sprains, or hangnails?

I would have to say it is.

If you talk with any athlete, from high school to college, their biggest fear is the possibility of a torn ACL. It generally means the end of the season, surgery, and months of rehab.

If you have had an acl knee injury, then you know what I am talking about. All of the thoughts that went through your mind when you felt your knee buckle, heard or felt the dreaded "pop", and saw your sports career flash before your eyes.

It is the first thing that athletes think about when they injure their knee...

"Please let the ACL be ok."

How Common is an ACL Knee Injury?

I could quote you statistics, with injury rates and ACL surgery rates for the United States, but those numbers are boring, and don't really give a good picture. In my opinion, ACL tears are, unfortunately, way too common.

I work in a sports medicine clinic that sees between 30 and 50 patients a day. At any given moment during the day, and especially in the busy afternoons, you will find one, if not several ACL reconstruction patients in the clinic.

I would estimate I treat between 20-30 ACL reconstructions a year. And I am only one athletic trainer, in one clinic in the country.

It is way too common.

Learn more about the Torn ACL

Why does it happen?

I am a true believer of treating the whole body, not just the injured part. Every day I am amazed at how connected the body is, and how important every part is. If you came into my clinic with knee pain, and I evaluated you and said that the problem wasn't in your knee, but rather in your hips, or ankle, or low back, you might think I was crazy.

Since you are paying good money to get better, hopefully you would go along with me for a few treatment sessions. And after a week or two, when your knee starts feeling better, you would begin to understand that connection.

It took me a couple of years to start to realize how connected the body is. In order to treat the knee, you have to look above and below to make sure everything else is working. I think this is one of the big problems with sports injury rehabilitation.

Too many clinicians, physical therapists, and atheltic trainers who focus solely on the injured area and lose sight of the big picture. If you are going through rehab, ask your clinician about the joints above and below your injury and see what they say.

What does all of this have to do with an ACL knee injury? Well, the most common problem that I see with patients who suffer ACL tears is not at the knee. It is at the hip and the ankle. They are weak, or tight, or both. And beleive it or not, it is this weakness at the hips that eventually lead to the ACL tear.

When you look at what the knee has to do during sports, it is amazing how much stress it absorbs. Everytime you land, your knee has to flex and absorb the stress of your body weight and gravity. The muscles at the hip, especially the rotators and abductors, are the muscles that control the position the knee ends up in.

When these are weak, the knee ends up in positions that it shouldn't be in...which results in injury. So much focus is placed on the quadriceps. Although they are a very important muscle for the knee, they can do little to help control the knee position when landing or changing directions. It is all about the hips.

Preventing ACL Knee Injury

If you want to give your ACL a fighting chance, you need to think about prevention. Go find a mirror, one that allows you to see your whole body. Face the mirror, and then jump up in the air and land. Watch what your knees do. Go ahead, try it...I will wait right here.

Back already? Great!

What did you see? I bet you saw your knees come together, towards each other, as you landed. Maybe a little, maybe a lot. Now, go back to the mirror and try to jump and land without letting your knees come closer together.

A little harder than it sounds, eh? Strengthening your hips is the key to fixing this problem. And it can go a long way in preserving your ACL, and your sports season.

Chances are, you could benefit from a conditioning program to help strengthen your core and your hips. Just 2-3 exercises, 2-3 times a week could make a huge difference. What do you have to lose, really? And what would you stand to gain?

Summary

ACL knee injury is not completely preventable...if it were, I would be out of a job.

You can work towards making it less likely.

A good hip and core strengthening program can be a huge benefit in preventing ACL knee injury. Talk with your coaches, athletic trainer, or personal trainer about improving your hip and core strength. Give your ACL a chance, and keep yourself off the sidelines.

Do you have a question about the information on this page? If so, ask me and get an answer.

Or if you have experience with this topic, share your story...

ACL Knee Injury ---> Return to Knee Injuries