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Many associate ACL tears with major athletic injuries, such as when audiences see Tom Brady being hit below the knee or University of Georgia Running Back Nick Chubb landing awkwardly after being tackled in the Tennessee game.
You may be surprised to learn, most ACL injuries don’t come from football or contact sports, and in fact, 75% of ACL tears are attributed to non-contact injuries. The word “non-contact” is crucial in this discussion and should echo “preventable.”
ACL Injury
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears are the most recognized injuries in sports and among the least understood by those of the general population. Most individuals know the ACL is crucial to knee function and the recovery is a long-term endeavor. With the ACL’s prime function being to maintain the knee’s stability by limiting hyperextension and rotation of the tibia, most individuals will take approximately 12 months to recover following surgical intervention.
The ACL experiences a sprain or tearing when the tibia hyper-extends on the fulcrum rotary component. In sports or even everyday exercising, the injury may occur from improper form, such as incorrectly lunging or squatting or when an individual’s running dynamics are off. Each of these places strain on the ACL, and over time, the ligament frays or tears in varying degrees.
Reducing the risk of an ACL Injury
While quad dominance and poor glute activation have been identified as factors in ACL injuries, fitness and rehabilitation professionals alike have designed and conducted jump training and strength programs to counteract these risk factors. Though these programs have shown effectiveness, the purest predictor of ACL injury is the identification of movement dysfunctions. If you are training with a movement dysfunction, you will train to be dysfunctional. Remember, as the saying goes, “Perfect practice makes perfect.”
One tool we use at Integrated Rehabilitation Services is the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). The FMS was created by physical therapist Gray Cook in the late ‘90s and has evolved into the assessment tool present today. This screening tool is designed to identify dysfunctions in the body, which include mobility deficits, stability limitations, and motor control deficits.
Based on the exercise philosophy of Functional Movement Systems, FMS utilizes a grading structure that evaluates an individual’s movement relative to normal functions without providing a diagnosis. The tool identifies limitations and asymmetries that compromise functional training and physical conditioning by using seven different movement and three clearing tests.
The FMS then gives a score useful for targeting problems, tracking progress, and identifying the most beneficial corrective exercises to restore movement patterns. The result may specify a patient is safe to continue with the current activity, may need a corrective strategy, or may benefit from a referral to a health care provider.
By running individuals through this battery of tests, the Sports Performance team is able to identify not only the dysfunctional movement pattern but the underlying cause for the pattern. This makes training more effective and rapidly reduces the risk of injury. Around the world, the FMS has been successfully implemented with the Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Falcons, MMA fighters, and the Orange County firefighters.
Integrated Rehabilitation Services currently offers FMS screenings to individuals, small groups, and sports teams upon request. For more information on the FMS and Strength and Conditioning Programs offered by Integrated Rehabilitation Services, please contact the Integrated Sports Performance Team.