An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most common orthopedic conditions seen by the sports medicine specialists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Nearly 250,000 people in the United States experience a sprain, strain or tear of the ACL each year.
While anyone can hurt their ACL, this type of injury happens much more frequently in athletes, particularly those in fast-moving sports such as soccer, football, basketball and lacrosse. The injury occurs when an athlete makes quick-cutting movements while decelerating or jumping.
ACL injuries are serious and debilitating, costing athletes valuable time on the field or court and requiring lengthy, involved rehabilitation efforts. We can significantly reduce the risk of non-contact ACL tears and lower-extremity injuries with proper education, strength training and expert guidance. That’s why the physical therapists and sports medicine experts at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center created the Lower-Extremity Injury Prevention Program to offer well-studied and evidence-based prevention strategies to keep you at peak performance.
What is the Lower-Extremity Injury Prevention Program?
The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center has developed this unique program based on our extensive research that identified certain movement patterns associated with ACL injury risk. Participation in this program may reduce the risk of injury by up to 70%. While much of the injury prevention research has focused on ACL injuries, our program is designed for anyone participating in cutting and pivoting sports or those with a history of lower-extremity injuries.
Our licensed sports physical therapists, athletic trainers and certified strength and conditioning specialists collaborate to target and address each athlete’s deficiencies. They do this by combining renowned research, clinical expertise and evidence-based training techniques to work on jumping mechanics and proprioception (awareness of body position).
Services offered for lower-extremity injury prevention
Through this specialized program, you’ll have access to:
- Education and supervision
- Physical therapy
- Strength training (core, hip and thigh)
- Neuromuscular training
- Technique modification (cutting and jumping)
- Plyometrics (jump training to increase power)
- Balance and proprioceptive strengthening
- Feedback cueing
- Focus on frequently used areas
We’ll use a combination of physical therapy principles to reduce your chances of sustaining an ACL injury and to improve your overall performance.
Also, if an injury does occur, you’ll have quick and coordinated access to all the expert orthopedic care an academic medical center like the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center has to offer.
Who is a candidate for the Lower-Extremity Injury Prevention Program?
Anyone worried about an ACL injury can participate in the prevention program. However, people who might benefit most from learning about ACL injury prevention include:
- Athletes (especially females, who are four to six times more likely to injure their ACL than their male counterparts).
- Participants in running and cutting sports, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, football or lacrosse.
- Those who demonstrate faulty jumping mechanics.
- People who have already had a previous knee or ACL injury.
- Those with structural or hormonal risk factors, such as wider-set hips, long thighbones or shinbones and a general laxity or “looseness” of ligaments that keep joints stable.
Benefits of lower-extremity injury prevention
Working with sports medicine specialists who have specific expertise in the knee and ACL area can have many benefits. These benefits include:
- Keeping you playing the sport or enjoying the physical activity you love.
- Allowing you to continue to excel at the same level of competition, including receiving college scholarships and other accolades.
- Reducing your risk of complications such as early osteoarthritis, weakened muscle or significant loss of function.
- Reducing your risk of a second ACL injury, as current research suggests that one in four athletes who have had an ACL injury sustain a second ACL injury.
- Decreasing injuries overall, since you’re strengthening highly utilized areas and learning how to maneuver your body in the safest way possible.
How to make an appointment with the Lower-Extremity Injury Prevention Program
To make an initial appointment to see if injury prevention services are a good fit for you, call our physical therapy central scheduling phone line at 614-293-2001 and asked to be paired with a lower-extremity injury prevention specialist. The Lower-Extremity Injury Prevention Program and its services are not currently covered by insurance. It’s a fee-for-service program.
