Health Care > How to Prevent an ACL InjuryRelated Photo
Sponsor link
Related Diseases
Injury to your anterior cruciate ligament can put you on the sidelines of your favorite sports for months and months. In some cases, ACL injuries require surgical repair which may leave your knee weakened for a long time to come. Sports doctors recommend strengthening exercises to help you prevent an ACL injury.
Replace your normal warm-up routine with the special ACL conditioning warm-up created by orthopedic surgeons.
Jog between two cones. Experts state that this allows for muscle warm-up without creating undue stress on the ACL and other knee ligaments.
Keep the proper form while jogging. The hips, Knees and ankles should always be on the same plane--this will help avoid overextension of the knees.
Spend a minute or two doing shuttle runs builds up hip strength. Begin by standing with knees slightly bent and sidestep with one Foot over the other. At the end of the field, begin with the other foot first.
Run across the field backwards. This will help build up your hamstring muscles. Strong hamstrings can help you from putting too much stress on your ACL.
Stretch carefully before engaging in your sport. Stretching helps keep muscles limber and able to take the stresses of play without putting too much strain on your knees.
Stand with your right leg in front of the left with the knee slightly bent. Lean forward until you feel the stretch in your calf. Hold for 30 seconds and then switch feet.
Loosen your inner thighs by sitting on the ground with legs open. Lean down with your back straight until you feel the pull in your inner thighs. Hold for 30 seconds.
Practice walking lunges to build strength around your knees. Stand with your feet together, then lunge forward deeply with one leg. Stand up straight and repeat with the other leg. Always keep your front knee over your ankle to avoid overextension.
Improve your balance by strengthening your calf muscles. Increased balance reduces the risk of ACL injury cause by falls. Stand with you feet together and slowly raise yourself up so you are standing on your toes. Slowly return to almost standing and repeat.
