2008 Woodie Awards
Women athletes more prone to injury
Kelly McKinley '08
Issue date: 11/10/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Sports injuries in college athletes are nothing new. Yet female athletes are more prone to ACL injuries than males.
"Women are five times more likely to tear their ACL than men," said Bill Lukasiewicz, the athletic trainer for the men's basketball team at Saint Joseph's University. The ACL is a stabilizing ligament in the knee joint.
The area is prone to injury to begin with. The ACL lives in a notch. When the knee rotates beyond normal, that's when the ACL becomes injured. In women's bodies, the notches tend to be narrower, the size and strength of their ligament also varies. Women tend to have more joint laxity (flexibility) in the knee as well as hormonal differences that have an impact on their likelihood of injury.
Factors that strain the ligament include lack of muscle strength, not enough rest between workouts, and over-stressing the muscle either in weight training or running.
There is only so much that can be done to prevent this injury. Training, muscle strength, neuromuscular facilitation, and orthotics can all be used in an effort to prevent injuries to the ACL. However, prevention of the problem is not so simple.
"Cutting sports", or sports that involve rapid changes of direction such as basketball, skiing, soccer and field hockey, are all sports that are highly prone to ACL injuries due simply to the nature of the sport.
Athletic women between the ages of 14 to 30 years old are at the greatest risk of injuring their ACL.
The most common method of preventing ACL tears is strengthening and conditioning. Balance training, knowing where your body is in space, and polymeric activities focusing on the landing are ways of achieving the specific strength needed for strong muscles that can prevent injury to the ACL.
"Teaching people to land properly when coming down from jumps is very important," said Lukasiewicz.
"Land so that your knees are bent, toes are straight ahead, your toes are over your knees and do not allow your knees to cave inwards. If you watch an untrained girl come down from a box jump often times they will land with their feet facing in."
After the ACL has been torn, the recovery process begins right away. The ACL will not repair on its own, and surgery is required.
"Assuming it is an isolated ACL injury with no cartilage damage, people will typically come back to full recovery within six to eight months on average; some may sooner," said Lukasiewicz.
The recovery process begins quickly after the surgery, he says.
"Rest for a day to recover. Athletes will even start the same day with range of motion activities to control the swelling and pain."
The first few days after surgery involve basic strength training exercises around the knee, followed by the process of returning to full functioning activities, with running and sprinting being the last steps.
Lukasiewicz' advice to avoid an injury to the ACL and injuries in general is, "General flexibility is important but won't prevent. You can't stretch the ACL, but keeping the muscles around it flexible is important."
"Women are five times more likely to tear their ACL than men," said Bill Lukasiewicz, the athletic trainer for the men's basketball team at Saint Joseph's University. The ACL is a stabilizing ligament in the knee joint.
The area is prone to injury to begin with. The ACL lives in a notch. When the knee rotates beyond normal, that's when the ACL becomes injured. In women's bodies, the notches tend to be narrower, the size and strength of their ligament also varies. Women tend to have more joint laxity (flexibility) in the knee as well as hormonal differences that have an impact on their likelihood of injury.
Factors that strain the ligament include lack of muscle strength, not enough rest between workouts, and over-stressing the muscle either in weight training or running.
There is only so much that can be done to prevent this injury. Training, muscle strength, neuromuscular facilitation, and orthotics can all be used in an effort to prevent injuries to the ACL. However, prevention of the problem is not so simple.
"Cutting sports", or sports that involve rapid changes of direction such as basketball, skiing, soccer and field hockey, are all sports that are highly prone to ACL injuries due simply to the nature of the sport.
Athletic women between the ages of 14 to 30 years old are at the greatest risk of injuring their ACL.
The most common method of preventing ACL tears is strengthening and conditioning. Balance training, knowing where your body is in space, and polymeric activities focusing on the landing are ways of achieving the specific strength needed for strong muscles that can prevent injury to the ACL.
"Teaching people to land properly when coming down from jumps is very important," said Lukasiewicz.
"Land so that your knees are bent, toes are straight ahead, your toes are over your knees and do not allow your knees to cave inwards. If you watch an untrained girl come down from a box jump often times they will land with their feet facing in."
After the ACL has been torn, the recovery process begins right away. The ACL will not repair on its own, and surgery is required.
"Assuming it is an isolated ACL injury with no cartilage damage, people will typically come back to full recovery within six to eight months on average; some may sooner," said Lukasiewicz.
The recovery process begins quickly after the surgery, he says.
"Rest for a day to recover. Athletes will even start the same day with range of motion activities to control the swelling and pain."
The first few days after surgery involve basic strength training exercises around the knee, followed by the process of returning to full functioning activities, with running and sprinting being the last steps.
Lukasiewicz' advice to avoid an injury to the ACL and injuries in general is, "General flexibility is important but won't prevent. You can't stretch the ACL, but keeping the muscles around it flexible is important."
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