If you like watching sports like AFL, NBA, EPL, World Rugby and netball, you are probably very familiar with the ACL. It is widely publicised and is often associated with season ending and sometimes career ending disappointment. Let’s face it, no one wants to see their favourite team athlete go down clutching at the knee.

The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is an important ligament that stabilises the knee during rotational movements such as pivoting & change of direction. Australia has the highest reported rates of ACL injuries in the world, with a lot of them leading to surgeries and an extended time away from the sporting field. ⁣

In recent literature, there has been a reported growing trend in ACL injuries amongst children (as young as 5 years old!). This has major implications on sporting participation, overall health & wellness and future complications such as re-injury and developing osteoarthritis. Not to mention the financial and emotional toll it can have.

The statistics on primary ACL surgical recovery is over-whelming!

• 2/3 people will return to their previous level of sports (recreational athletes)

• You have a 29% chance of sustaining another ACL injury once it’s been surgically repaired (The risk is higher in younger age groups - 18 years and under)

• You are 4.2 times more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis compared with a non-ACL-injured knee at 10 years post op.

These statistics are tough to accept, but what if we told you there was a way to help prevent these catastrophic injuries from happening in the first place?

ACL prevention programs have been shown to decrease injury risk by up to 50% as well as improve overall performance! That’s right, they are performance enhancing! ⁣See our list of injury prevention resources for your sport here.
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We’ve put together this 15 minute program with minimum equipment needed. Implement this program into your training sessions or twice a week for maximal benefit.

Please refer to the video below:

Please note: this program has been created using existing exercises from evidence based programs. Do not perform these if you have a lower limb injury or if you are experiencing pain when performing the program.

References:

Rick Joreitz et all (2016): Patient-specific and surgery-specific factors that affect return to sport after ACL reconstruction

Ardern, C. L., Webster, K. E., Taylor, N. F., & Feller, J. A. (2011). Return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the state of play. 

Poulsen, E., Goncalves, G. H., Bricca, A., Roos, E. M., Thorlund, J. B., & Juhl, C. B. (2019). Knee osteoarthritis risk is increased 4-6 fold after knee injury - a systematic review and meta-analysis.