- Mechanics: Valgus collapse is one of the most significant risk factors for ACL tear and is frequently the actual mechanism of the injury. All athletes must be taught to squat, lunge, jump, and land without knee and ankle collapse. Your form doesn’t need to be picture perfect, but if your knees and ankles are coming in on every rep, they’re going to have a bad time.
When we are tired our bodies resort to our most comfortable and habitual movement patterns. Get in the habit of landing and bending your knees with proper mechanics. Learn proper planting and pivoting.
- Strength: While quadriceps strength is seen as the best indicator of how well an athlete will perform after an ACL repair, it tends to be one of the lesser focuses in prehab and prevention. The reason is that most athletes overuse their quadriceps and are lacking proper use of their glutes. The glute medius in particular is very important in preventing valgus collapse. Lacking core and hip strength are also significant risk factors in ACL injuries.
- Recovery: Professional athletes don’t play their sport year round and neither should you. Many injuries are the result of doing too much. All athletes need to pay as much attention to proper nutrition, sleeping, and adequate rest between competitive performances.
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