Injury Prevention

This article appeared in the Chicago Tribune last week. The trend of females and ACL injuries is nothing new to the sporting world. There may be several underlying factors but probably the most significant is the rise in intensity being played with on the court. As the science of training improves female athletes in particular are stronger, faster, and more powerful than ever. As females become stronger, and the game intensifies, the risk of injury increases.

The off-season gets smaller and smaller. When I was young basketball season started in November and ended in March. I seem to recall the ability to play in a once a week league at the YMCA for a couple weeks after the basketball season. We played basketball on the playground when we felt like it the rest of the summer. Basketball is an organized year round sport now, with leagues and practices being held year round. The time available to prepare the body has diminished as the organized seasons grow. Continued play has become the training modality of choice.

I've stated this before. An injury is usually a product of bad timing. An ACL injury typically occurs with a plant and cut. The athlete plants their foot and changes direction. Plant and cut is a move athletes do repeatedly during practice and competition. A series of seemingly small events falls into place and its just too much for the body to handle. The athletes foot sticks on the ground and doesn't move as the body changes direction. Another player steps on the foot while the body is turning. Two players collide and the force is just right causing the ACL to fail. Moves the athlete has undergone time after time with no problem, but this one time it went severely wrong.

Most times its not the fault of the knee. Usually the foot or hip is the culprit. The muscles above or below the knee didn't do their job in absorbing force. The knee ended up being forced to do more work than its built for and it just can't handle it. Most times the hip and foot do their job just fine and the knee comes through with flying colors.

The body can be trained to be more resilient, more prepared to absorb force. The goal needs to be to train the "brakes". The brakes in a car slow down the car, and allow it to safely stop. When the brakes aren't doing their job the car needs more time and distance to come to a stop. The body has its own brakes- Muscles that absorb force and allow the body to come to a stop, or change direction. When the body's "brakes" aren't doing their job the athlete is unable to change directions on a dime or slow down to make a play or move. They overrun their position, collide with their opponent or end up in one spot when they should be in another.

Spending time training the brakes may seem like a less exciting task than training with weights. The reality is that when the brakes are stronger, the body will allow itself to run faster and jump higher. Not only will the body be more prepared to absorb force but it will be more prepared to produce force, which leads to better performance.