Pet Your Knees
Steven McCune, PT, PES
Procore Physical Therapy P.C.
Now we can exercise to protect our knees and the (ACL) anterior cruciate ligament.
If you engage in athletic activity or have a son or daughter who plays sports, you should know about (PET) Protective Exercise Training. Learn how to PET your knees' ACL.
Thousands of athletes of all ages will suffer knee injuries this year. Rupturing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most publicized
and serious of all knee injuries. Can these injuries be prevented? New research on exercise programs is proving that specialized training programs can reduce the risk and the rate of ACL injury.
The ACL is largely responsible for stabilizing the knee during dynamic sport activities. This ligament is deep inside the knee and crosses from the underside of the thigh bone to attach on top of the shin bone. When torn or ruptured the function of the knee is greatly compromised and simple changing directions while walking becomes difficult.
The majority of ACL injuries occur during non-contact activity such as landing from a jump or pivoting when running. Female athletes will suffer these injuries five times more often than males. Risk factors for women include sub-optimal lower extremity alignment, muscle imbalances specific to hamstring weakness, and changing hormone levels.
Recovery from ACL ruptures often requires reconstructive surgery, protective bracing, and months of physical therapy before a person may return to sports 6 to 10 months later.
The alarming rate of ACL injury is driving the exercise and rehabilitation industry to evolve the way people are training for sports. These new exercise programs are emphasizing muscle balance particular to building strong hamstrings in order to protect the ACL. Equally critical is improving jumping and landing mechanics through a focus on the leg's alignment and the body's control during simulated sport movements.
Protective Exercise Training (PET) is stepping to the forefront and becoming vital to an athletes longevity and performance. PET consists of several key components: 1) Proper warm-up before sporting activity, 2) strength and flexibility training to achieve muscle balance, and 3) technique training for optimum jumping, landing and pivoting mechanics.
Proper assessment of your body is crucial for determining its strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to PET. Warm-up routines should be established and can be modified for either practice or game days. Strength and flexibility programs should be individualized to address specific muscle imbalances unique to each athlete. Learning proper techniques for jumping, landing, and pivoting is achieved systematically with good attention to correct form as one progresses from easy to more difficult tasks.
Injury to our knees' ACL does not discriminate. Athletes of many ages, on all levels, male and especially female are at risk for ACL ruptures.
We are all familiar with the saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So PET your ACLs. Protective exercise training (PET) is for all athletic levels and especially helpful to the young person by developing strength and technique vital for protecting their knees.