Neururomuscular Training Paper

Since the media does not emphasize the severity of female athlete injuries when the player experiences them, the athlete needs to learn post-treatments to help speed up the recovery time. Learning treatments for the injuries that a female athlete incurs may also help prevent any future injuries. Thomas says, “plyometric exercises, proprioception, agility, overall biomechanics corrective exercises” (Thomas). When a female is injured while playing a sport, they should go through rigorous exercises to recover properly from the injury and to prevent any further injuries. The coaches that coach the female athletes should be informed of how to help the athlete recover from the injury and learn ways to guide the other players on the team how to

The magnitude of the problem is clear, as a high incidence of ACL injury, particularly in young athletes. Recent evidence suggests that more than half of athletes who undergo ACL surgery are unable to return to their preinjury level of function after ACLR surgery. Return to sports activities remains a very difficult topic. Thus the research regarding the rehabilitation process of athlete after

Studies have also shown that women in particular, unfortunately have a disadvantage in life when compared to male counterparts, and that is one pertaining to their higher risk for ACL injury. Due to a neuromuscular imbalance that is concomitant with overactive quadriceps strength compared to hamstring strength, females tend to place more stress on the ACL. Accordingly, this increases the pressure on the ACL leading to a higher prevalence of injury that will arise more on the female spectrum than that of the male (Myer et al., 2009). Furthermore, this is important to be aware of for female athletes and for the Physical Therapists who treat them in efforts to provide educational information regarding the relationship of stronger hamstrings correlating to a lesser chance of ACL injury. Personally, I have worked with athletic females in the past as a personal trainer and while I was not strengthening hamstrings with the direct objective to prevent an ACL injury, I was cognizant of the notion that a balanced quadriceps and hamstring ratio was necessary to avoid lower extremity injuries as a

Dr. Boden of the Orthopedic Center in Rockville states, “Young women are two to eight times more likely than their male counterparts to injure their ACL.” Although there are some factors that put others at a higher risk of tearing their ACL, like this gender one, ACL tears are common and can happen

Lowering this rate would allow female athletes of all levels to have a lower probability of ACL injury. Sex difference has proven that female athletes are more likely to have an ACL injury than males. Since we are unable to change our sex (intrinsic factor), the focus must then be placed on the factors that can be modified. A list of these factors include: preparation, skill acquisition (from a young age), and playing style (Ireland, 1999). The factors listed are all controllable extrinsic factors, focusing on these and the partially controllable factors could aid in the prevention of ACL injuries in

Female athletes who participate in these high-risk sports demonstrate a 4 to 6 times greater rate of ACL injuries than males participating in the same sports (Hewett, 2000;

There have been many studies done to explain the higher rate of ACL injury in female athletes. The most convincing findings relate to knee kinematics and neuromuscular control. In a study of 20 subjects (10 male and 10 female) forces from jump tasks were recorded using 3-D videography and force plates. One conclusion from the study was that force on the ACL was greatest during the landing phase of a jump tasks. Females frequently showed more leg extension and valgus movements during the landing phase, which also puts more stress on the ACL (Chappel et all, 2002). A similar study found that internal rotation combined with valgus movement creates

In female basketball players, neuromuscular, hormonal, and anatomical factors were considered internal factors that were the cause of non-contact ACL tears. Muscle weakness in the gluteus maximus and hamstring muscles along with poor dynamic

A saliva sample of the subjects was collected within 72 hours of the ACL injury in order to determine what phase of the menstrual cycle they were in. It was then shipped to a lab for testing via radioimmunoassay. Figure 3 shows the results in bar graph form of what stage the subjects tore their ACL in (Slauterbeck). The results show that when the subjects were in days one and two of menses, the number of ACL tears increases over 50 percent. This case study concludes that women who are participating in activity during days one and two of menses have a 50 percent or greater increased risk of tearing their ACL. The estrogen and progesterone levels in the body during this time are very low when referring to Figure 2. This could be due to the lack of tissue repair when E and P levels are low, which would make the ACL weaker (Slauterbeck).

With an ever increasing number of people becoming involved with athletic activities, there is an increasing number of injuries occurring which can be devastating for the individual. Most of the injuries that affect athletes occur in one of four structures in the human body: bones, muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Because ligaments attach bone to bone and play a major part in providing stability for joints, the major stabilizing ligament in the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), assists in performing everyday actions of the human body including sitting, standing, walking, running, dancing, and participating in other sports. The injury that specifically affects this ligament is very serious and always

This article is a systematic review, meaning it is an overview comparison of multiple other articles that involve specific studies being done on the participants. Based on the results of this article, it is unclear if psychological interventions are beneficial to athletes after ACL surgery. Visual imagery allowed for physical function improvement, but not an improvement in overall health-related quality of life. It also decreased re-injury anxiety. Guided imagery and relaxation decreased pain significantly, and increased rehab self- efficacy. Although these are all positives, there is also a negative effect to all of the psychological interventions mentioned above. More studies need to be done to give an accurate interpretation as to if psychological interventions prove to be overall beneficial for postoperative ACL individuals. This information could be helpful for any healthcare professional who is attempting to use psychological rehab techniques because if the methods are not working, it might be time to consider different options for that aspect of

The more games a person plays, the more their muscles weaken and can be susceptible to a tear. For those athletes younger than the college level, around fourteen to eighteen, the rate of non-contact ACL injuries is twice as high as males. Athletes are at a higher risk of suffering an ACL injury during a game compared to during practice (Renstrom, 2008, pg. 2).

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Dr. Alpert wakes up at 6:30 AM, which allows him enough time to brew his morning coffee and prepare for the day all before making his first cut in the operating room at 8:00 AM. He performs his surgeries at either Ashton Surgical Center in Hoffman Estates, IL on Tuesday, or at Algonquin Road Surgical Center in Lake In the Hills, IL on Thursday. “I typically have surgeries from eight in the morning to about two in the afternoon, which allows three to five patients per day depending on the procedure. Every time I have an ACL reconstruction, I turn on my some of my favorite oldies music to get me in the groove.” During a typical ACL reconstruction, Dr. Alpert scrapes out the old, ruptured ACL and swaps it with a graft that is most commonly obtained from the hamstring or the patellar tendon. “I prefer to use the hamstring, especially with women. The procedure classically takes about an hour and a half to complete, and the patient is able to start rehab the next day. With ACL tears being such a frequent injury among female athletes, particularly in non-contact sports, it is currently being researched just why that is.”

ACL tears are the most common type of knee injuries seen in athletes. The ACL is viewed as the most important ligament in the entire knee. To elaborate, it helps provide stability throughout the entire leg. Although the majority of these injuries result from contact sports, such as football, some result from non contact sports, such as tennis, as well. This injury can result from overstretching the anterior ligament or completely tearing it (Brown University, n.d.). According to Brown University (n.d.) in a study by the National Football League, 100% of football players suffering from ACL injuries, through a five year span, required some sort of surgery. In contrary, an ACL injury recovery time can be more accurately determined in comparison to concussions. In most instances an athlete’s recovery time can vary from six to nine months. Though knee injuries have more

The evidence supports surgical management as the treatment of choice for those who want to return to high-level physical activity after ACL rupture however, when individuals may want to attempt to return to physically demanding activities, at least temporarily, without undergoing surgery. Non-operative management would benefit them, Examples may include the athlete who has exhausted eligibility or who needs to compete to demonstrate worthiness for athletic scholarships or an all-star team or seasonal laborers who regularly subject the knees to climbing, lifting, and working on uneven surfaces and would like to postpone surgery until the busy work season is completed. (Fitzgerald, Axe, & Snyder-Mackler,