Prevent an ACL Injury before its “Too Late” to Recover
The Facts:
- Did you know that females are 5x more likely to sustain a knee injury than males?
- Statistically, 30,000 high school and college-age females will injury their knee this year with a majority of these injuries coming from non-contact injuries.
- Most of the non-contact injuries are from landing from a jump or pivoting when running which can occur in any sport but mostly seen in basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and volleyball. (Frank R. Noyes, MD)
What if I already have sustained an ACL injury?
A recent article was posted in the NY Times titled, “After a Knee Injury, Be Wary When Returning to Sports”. The article referred to a review of multiple studies and implied that returning to sport after an ACL injury, whether passing the testing to return to play or not, had a significant chance of another knee injury; “the athletes who had passed testing were 235 percent more likely than those who had failed to tear the A.C.L. in their uninjured leg within the next year or so of competing.”
So what does this mean?
Prevention is the KEY to successfully participating in running, cutting, and jumping sports!
Through research, the Cincinnati Sports Medicine Research and Education Foundation has developed a program titled Sportsmetrics. This program has been proven to reduce the incidence of non-contact ACL injuries.
What does the program entail?
- A certified Sportsmetrics Provider will use video analysis software to help determine your baseline performance in strength, flexibility, jumping, and agility
- 16 sessions, 4x/week for 4 weeks; 1hr sessions
- All aspects of strength, flexibility, jumping, and agility will be worked on through the specific
- Post testing will be performed using the same software to compare with the original measurements
- 1 on 1 discussion with then take place to determine your individual needs going forward
Where can I do this program?
We are pleased to announce that Gen Good-Malloy, DPT, has undergone extensive training in the Sportsmetrics Program and is a certified instructor (CSMS). Dr. Good-Malloy has had experience with knee injuries not only as a treating clinician but also as a high school (basketball, volleyball, lacrosse) and collegiate athlete (basketball) who sustained a season ending knee injury. However, due to rehabilitation and training, the injury was not career ending.
She has also coached basketball at all levels including collegiate. Gen is now passionate about the prevention and rehabilitation of female athletes. In fact, her ACL injury sparked her interest in the Physical Therapy field.
In summary:
If you are an athlete, have a daughter who participates in sports, a coach, an athletic trainer, athletic director, or an orthopedic health care provider, consider giving us a call to discuss how we can help you avoid a season or possibly career ending knee injury.
References:
Frank R. Noyes, MD; Sportmetrics creator
G. Reynolds (April 2019)
