Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is an all too common knee injury in athletes participating in sports like soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics, snowboarding and skiing. Your ACL is a key structure to provide rotational stability to the knee. It also prevents your tibia (shin bone) from translating forward in front of the femur (thigh bone). ACL injury can occur when an increased force, usually rotational, occurs at the knee joint during non-contact maneuvers, such as pivoting or cutting. It can also occur via direct contact with another player on the field.

While these symptoms are common among athletes, they are not normal and should be addressed by a qualified professional. If this sounds like you, click here to get help now.

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A population becoming increasingly more affected is adolescent females, who are 4-6 times more likely than their male counterparts to rupture their ACL. Reasons for this discrepancy can often include adolescent females’ decreased neuromuscular control of lower limb biomechanics at the knee during pivoting, landing, and lateral movements. While this injury is more common among adolescent populations, it can occur at any age among individuals who exhibit decreased lower extremity stability and strength while performing sports and other high-level activities.

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Various physical events (injury, illness, surgery, etc.) can disrupt your brain's capacity to switch on the right muscle, at the right time, and with the right amount of strength.  Without the proper stability system, known as neuromuscular deactivation, this loss of muscle control impairs your ability to properly stabilize joints through their range of motion. Specifically in the knee joint, the ACL becomes more susceptible to increased stress and forces may exceed its capacity, leading to strain or rupture.

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Proper training habits along with the ability of the athlete to perform the desired movements in a strong, efficient, and safe manner are essential for optimal health and pain-free performance.

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How can Activcore help?

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The physical demands of athletes are uniquely different from the general population who do not engage in similar activity. Likewise, physical therapy for this special population should not be given a conventional approach. Working with athletes is typically not a big part of a physical therapist’s education. It is a specialty area requiring much further study, training, and practice following graduation.

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At Activcore, you will be matched with a physical therapist who specializes in treating athletes. Unlike the "typical" PT who probably doesn't even play sports, you will have a specialist who knows exactly what you are going through.

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Activcore physical therapists assess how you move as it relates to your sport. They apply a holistic approach to identify not only the site of injury, but the true source of any pain, weakness and dysfunction. Addressing the underlying cause is absolutely essential for healing an injury, preventing recurrence, and keeping you healthy and at a peak level of performance. The progression of your physical therapy treatments should be a reflection of the type of activity you are trying to get back to doing.

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You will feel the Activcore difference from your first visit. This is a highly personalized experience delivered by a passionate movement expert fully dedicated to getting you back to the sport or training activity that you love. Once your pain has been addressed, you will have the opportunity to continue honing your movement through ongoing performance training at Activcore.

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Learn about our 3-step recovery process for optimal movement health.

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If you have been experiencing any knee, hip, ankle or even low back pain and participate in high-level sports, it is a good idea to see an Activcore physical therapist. We specialize in restoring neuromuscular control and movement. We utilize certain screens and testing to determine if you are at risk for an ACL injury. We can then create an individualized program to improve mobility, stability and strength in the core, hips and lower extremities. These programs can be especially critical to implement into youth sports programs as warm-ups to improve mechanics and reduce the risk of injury during games.

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If you have undergone surgical repair, physical therapy is an imperative next step toward recovery. Early on in the recovery process, the focus is on pain control, range of motion, and gait training. As you move through the recovery timeline, the focus shifts to work on progressive strengthening and neuromuscular control. Balance exercises are critical to regaining stability and control of lower extremity movement. Late stage rehab should encompass sport specific and reactive movements, neuromuscular control, strength training, and cardiovascular fitness.