Brief Strength Training Cuts Girls' ACL Injuries

VAIL, COLO. — Girls and young women who engage in sports will have enhanced performance and less risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury with specific strength and proprioceptive training that lasts only 15 minutes rather than a longer session, Dr. Theodore J. Ganley said at a meeting sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Athletes are much more likely to be consistent and stick with a 15-minute-a-day program—which can substitute for a traditional warm-up at sports practice—than with one that requires long workouts. And, coaches can be sold on incorporating such a program by being told that the evidence suggests it improves performance, said Dr. Ganley, the orthopedic director of sports medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Since the 1970s, females have been participating in organized sport much more, and there has been a 1,000-fold increase in the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women, Dr. Ganley noted. Depending on the sport, females may injure their ACLs eight times more often than males.

And, in a review of participation and injury Dr. Ganley conducted for Pop Warner Football, he found that cheerleaders actually had a higher injury rate—including knee injuries—than the football players did.

In a large, 2-year study of high-school-age female soccer players, a 15-minute-a-day program similar to that recommended by Dr. Ganley reduced ACL injury risk by 88% in the trained athletes, compared with controls in the first year, and 74% in the second year (Am. J. Sports Med. 2005;33:1003–10).

Several physical and proprioceptive factors have been identified that might be associated with female's increased risk, but attention recently has focused on the fact that many women have greater knee abduction when they land from a jump, Dr. Ganley said.

The goal of much of the training is to train girls and women not to have such “valgus-biased” landings, he said.

Other research has suggested that females might be at increased risk because when they land from a jump, they do so with upright posture and straight knees, which may allow the quadriceps to pull the tibia more forward in relation to the femur.

The training program Dr. Ganley used with the female soccer players began with leg and hip stretches, and then moved to exercises designed to increase strength and proprioception. Those exercises include one known as the Russian hamstring, as well as lunges, runs, and jumps.

The program, known as PEP (Prevent Injury, Enhance Performance), was developed by the Santa Monica (Calif.) Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group. It can be found at www.aclprevent.com

Since the 1970s, there has been a 1,000-fold increase in the number of ACL injuries in women. Depending on the sport, females may injure their ACLs eight times more often than males. ©photoaged/FOTOLIA

VAIL, COLO. — Girls and young women who engage in sports will have enhanced performance and less risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury with specific strength and proprioceptive training that lasts only 15 minutes rather than a longer session, Dr. Theodore J. Ganley said at a meeting sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Athletes are much more likely to be consistent and stick with a 15-minute-a-day program—which can substitute for a traditional warm-up at sports practice—than with one that requires long workouts. And, coaches can be sold on incorporating such a program by being told that the evidence suggests it improves performance, said Dr. Ganley, the orthopedic director of sports medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Since the 1970s, females have been participating in organized sport much more, and there has been a 1,000-fold increase in the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women, Dr. Ganley noted. Depending on the sport, females may injure their ACLs eight times more often than males.

And, in a review of participation and injury Dr. Ganley conducted for Pop Warner Football, he found that cheerleaders actually had a higher injury rate—including knee injuries—than the football players did.

In a large, 2-year study of high-school-age female soccer players, a 15-minute-a-day program similar to that recommended by Dr. Ganley reduced ACL injury risk by 88% in the trained athletes, compared with controls in the first year, and 74% in the second year (Am. J. Sports Med. 2005;33:1003–10).

Several physical and proprioceptive factors have been identified that might be associated with female's increased risk, but attention recently has focused on the fact that many women have greater knee abduction when they land from a jump, Dr. Ganley said.

The goal of much of the training is to train girls and women not to have such “valgus-biased” landings, he said.

Other research has suggested that females might be at increased risk because when they land from a jump, they do so with upright posture and straight knees, which may allow the quadriceps to pull the tibia more forward in relation to the femur.

The training program Dr. Ganley used with the female soccer players began with leg and hip stretches, and then moved to exercises designed to increase strength and proprioception. Those exercises include one known as the Russian hamstring, as well as lunges, runs, and jumps.

The program, known as PEP (Prevent Injury, Enhance Performance), was developed by the Santa Monica (Calif.) Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group. It can be found at www.aclprevent.com

Since the 1970s, there has been a 1,000-fold increase in the number of ACL injuries in women. Depending on the sport, females may injure their ACLs eight times more often than males. ©photoaged/FOTOLIA

VAIL, COLO. — Girls and young women who engage in sports will have enhanced performance and less risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury with specific strength and proprioceptive training that lasts only 15 minutes rather than a longer session, Dr. Theodore J. Ganley said at a meeting sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Athletes are much more likely to be consistent and stick with a 15-minute-a-day program—which can substitute for a traditional warm-up at sports practice—than with one that requires long workouts. And, coaches can be sold on incorporating such a program by being told that the evidence suggests it improves performance, said Dr. Ganley, the orthopedic director of sports medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Since the 1970s, females have been participating in organized sport much more, and there has been a 1,000-fold increase in the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women, Dr. Ganley noted. Depending on the sport, females may injure their ACLs eight times more often than males.

And, in a review of participation and injury Dr. Ganley conducted for Pop Warner Football, he found that cheerleaders actually had a higher injury rate—including knee injuries—than the football players did.

In a large, 2-year study of high-school-age female soccer players, a 15-minute-a-day program similar to that recommended by Dr. Ganley reduced ACL injury risk by 88% in the trained athletes, compared with controls in the first year, and 74% in the second year (Am. J. Sports Med. 2005;33:1003–10).

Several physical and proprioceptive factors have been identified that might be associated with female's increased risk, but attention recently has focused on the fact that many women have greater knee abduction when they land from a jump, Dr. Ganley said.

The goal of much of the training is to train girls and women not to have such “valgus-biased” landings, he said.

Other research has suggested that females might be at increased risk because when they land from a jump, they do so with upright posture and straight knees, which may allow the quadriceps to pull the tibia more forward in relation to the femur.

The training program Dr. Ganley used with the female soccer players began with leg and hip stretches, and then moved to exercises designed to increase strength and proprioception. Those exercises include one known as the Russian hamstring, as well as lunges, runs, and jumps.

The program, known as PEP (Prevent Injury, Enhance Performance), was developed by the Santa Monica (Calif.) Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group. It can be found at www.aclprevent.com

Since the 1970s, there has been a 1,000-fold increase in the number of ACL injuries in women. Depending on the sport, females may injure their ACLs eight times more often than males. ©photoaged/FOTOLIA