Playing sports is a great way for a child to get exercise, learn teamwork and discipline, and make friends. But overdoing it or not knowing the proper way to warmup can result in some bad injuries, including that of the anterior cruciate ligament, a pair of ligaments in the knee that cross each other and connect the femur to the tibia.
Here are ways your child can stay safe while enjoying sports.
Warming up and stretching
Having a routine warmup allows the blood to circulate in your muscles and joints before training at an explosive level. Anterior cruciate ligament tears most often occur from a quick change in direction, so flexibility from stretching is critical to maintaining proper form to avoid injury.
Strength and agility training
Strengthening your knee’s primary support system, the thighs and hips, will help stabilize the knee when you’re put in injury-prone situations. Some of the best exercises to regularly perform include: squats, lunges, and cone drills that require change in direction. The key is maintaining proper form to train your body to follow the same technique in play.
Knowing your body
Knowing the limits of your body is crucial in avoiding any type of injury. Most anterior cruciate ligament injuries occur at the time when an athlete has been pushed past his limits — that’s when he uses incorrect form from exhaustion. Slowly building up your stamina and knowing when to take a break can save you from months of pain.
Using protective gear
Staying up to date on the different products that can help combat anterior cruciate ligament injuries can potentially prevent being sidelined and months of rehab. One of the products professionals developed, the ACL Tube, is specifically designed for the female athlete as an alternative to traditional knee braces, which only serves to immobilize the knee without treating the problem. The lightweight product applies topical pressure to muscles that support the knee, training the muscles to fire. In exchange, this muscle stimulation prevents fatigue, which is when most tears occur.
Cooling down
A majority of athletes know warming up is part of the standard protocol, but they don’t realize that cooling down is equally as important. Spending five to 10 minutes slowing down your heart rate will help remove the lactic acid that has built up in your muscles, allowing them to quickly recover and avoid any soreness in the long run.
