ACL

ACL injuries are more prevalent than ever. The ACL provides rotational stability to the knee and rotational stability exercises are often ignored in both prevention and rehab protocols. The following is an excerpt from the National Athletic Trainers Association's Public Service Announcement.

ACL injuries continue to remain a frustrating concern for young female soccer athletes. Generally speaking, ACL injures are 5 times more likely to occur in women than in men. There are many risk factors involved such as ligament laxity at certain stages of the menstrual cycle, females having wider hips, and other structural differences. You combine these factors with a sport like soccer that is associated with cutting, twisting, and deceleration movements, and you can see why a young female soccer athlete MUST INCLUDE INJURY PREVENTION as part of their training. 

Single leg bench squats are a great way to build strength and stability of the lower extremity. When performed properly, they engage muscles in the hip, thigh and ankle in a dynamic and synergistic fashion. In the game of soccer, an athlete is on one foot more often than two and training the body that way will be more beneficial to the player to become more powerful, quicker and more stable, preventing injuries to the knee and ankle.

This is a very challenging question. Sometimes you hear about professional athletes that come back from ACL injuries in 4 months. But most of the time, physicians will clear players to return in the 6 to 9 month range.

By modifying the Ickey Shuffle ladder drill, you can improve your knee stability, reducing the chance of injuring your ACL.