Helping Young Athletes Avoid ACL Injuries
Your daughter is anxious to begin learning to ski so she can join in the family fun each winter. Without proper training on how to move and make turns, however, she may suffer an injury that could keep her off the slopes for the season.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) connects the thighbone and shinbone in the knee to provide stability during a variety of motions. Sports that involve sudden changes of direction, jumping, landing and tackling put athletes at risk for ACL tears.
"Sports in which ACL injuries commonly occur include football, basketball, soccer, gymnastics and cheerleading," said Rachel Coel, MD, PhD, Pediatric Sports Medicine Physician and Co-Medical Director for the Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes at Children's Hospital Colorado. "We also see quite a few ACL tears related to skiing, particularly in deep snow. When such an injury occurs, athletes generally hear or feel a 'pop,' which is followed by rapid swelling within a few hours. After swelling subsides, most young athletes complain of knee instability."
Teaching Moments
The best way to prevent ACL tears is by educating young athletes - ideally beginning at age 12 - about how to play clean, pivot and cut properly, and land safely from a jump. Young athletes should land with their feet and knees facing forward and their weight centered so the shock of coming back to earth is absorbed by their core muscles and transferred to their knees and pelvis.
"The most important thing for parents to remember is that a swollen knee in a young athlete is not normal and should be checked by their child's pediatrician or a sports medicine physician," Dr. Coel said. "If an ACL tear isn't fixed, it can be dangerous for his or her long-term knee health."
For more information about sports injuries or ACL prevention training programs, visit our sports medicine department
A Pitfall of Play
As girls' participation in sports has risen during the past decade, their risk for suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries has overtaken that of boys. Today, female athletes stand a nearly six percent greater chance of tearing their ACLs than their male counterparts.
"More girls are playing high-risk sports, including soccer, basketball, wrestling, rugby and lacrosse," said Rachel Coel, MD, PhD, Pediatric Sports Medicine Physician and Co-Medical Director for the Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes at Children's Hospital Colorado. "Research points to multiple factors, including differences in female anatomy, such as a wider pelvis, distinctive knee joint structure and imbalanced quadriceps muscles, as possible explanations for girls' increased risk for ACL tears."
Call (720) 777-3899 to sign up your child or team for Sportsmetrics, a six-week ACL injury prevention program offered by the Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes at Children's Hospital Colorado.
