Richmond’s Judson Clarke is almost ready to return after an ACL injury. Today’s Pat’s Tips focuses on preventing this debilitating type of injury before it occurs. Photo: AAP/Morgan Hancock
Last week, I discussed why an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) rupture often leads to a 12-month recovery period away from sport.
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This injury is common in winter sports like football, netball, and soccer, and is particularly prevalent among female athletes.
As a result, preventing ACL injuries has become a major focus in recent years.
To understand how to prevent these injuries, we first need to examine how they occur.
ACL ruptures typically result from two main mechanisms.
One is when an athlete changes direction or pivots on their knee with poor technique, and the other is when an athlete lands on one leg after a jump, often following contact with another player.
If an athlete feels their knee buckle and hears a pop, it's likely a serious injury.
Physiotherapists have long believed that conditioning athletes’ bodies can reduce the risk of ACL injuries.
We believed that training athletes to land and pivot with proper technique, strengthening
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