Table of contents:
- Causes of ACL knee injury
- How to prevent ACL injury
- 1. Warm up and stretch
- 2. Stretch on both sides of the body
- 3. Strengthens the core muscles of the body
- 4. Train to use the right muscles when exercising
An ACL injury is an over-stretching or tearing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on the knee. People who actively exercise are more at risk of ACL injury, but there are several ways you can prevent this condition.
Causes of ACL knee injury
The knee is a part of the body that connects three bones, namely the thighbone (femur), calf bone (tibia) and kneecap (patella). These three bones are connected by a number of connective tissues or ligaments.
Several ligaments are connected to the femur and calf bones so that the knee joint is strong and stable. One of these ligaments is the anterior cruciate ligament, or more commonly abbreviated as ACL.
The ACL is in the middle of the knee. Its function is to limit joint rotation and forward motion of the calfbone. In addition, the ACL also maintains the stability of the knee by preventing the knee from shifting when the body changes direction of motion.
Most ACL injuries result from sudden twisting movements. For example, when one of your legs rests and the other is swinging the other way (a pivot motion).
Other factors that can cause ACL injuries include:
- Stop suddenly while running
- Stop and change the direction of movement suddenly
- Landing the wrong way after jumping
- The knee was hit hard
The risk of ACL injury is also higher in women. This is thought to be related to body anatomy, muscle strength, and the influence of hormones so that the knee gets a greater load.
How to prevent ACL injury
Here are a series of quite effective ways to prevent injury to the ACL, aka the knee ligaments:
1. Warm up and stretch
Always warm up and stretch before you play sports, play soccer, or engage in similar activities. Warming up is useful for increasing blood flow to muscles and joints.
Meanwhile, stretching aims to flex your body muscles so that you can move more freely. Focus on stretching your thighs, knees, waist, and other areas where you feel tense.
2. Stretch on both sides of the body
One of the most important ways to prevent ACL injury is to maintain balance on the left and right sides of your body. The reason is, ACL injuries can occur because one side of the body gets a heavier load.
Quoting the Johns Hopkins Medicine page, even a slight difference in weight between the two sides of the body is enough to cause injury. So, make sure you do balanced stretches on the left and right.
3. Strengthens the core muscles of the body
Not a few people impose their body's abilities when exercising. In fact, this habit does not strengthen muscles, instead it makes them stretch and increases the risk of sprains.
You actually need to strengthen your core muscles, for example with simple movements like abdominal crunch and plank. If your core muscles are strong, it will reduce the load on your knees.
4. Train to use the right muscles when exercising
Proper exercise is very useful for preventing ACL injuries. Here are some of the moves you need to practice:
- Jump and land safely. You should always land on your feet with your knees facing forward, your chest straight, and your buttocks back.
- While doing the pivot move, end on a nearly crawl. Bend at the waist and knees to reduce the load on the knees.
- Exercises to strengthen the hamstring muscles in the thighs and leg muscles. This exercise is also useful for improving balance abilities.
Anyone can actually prevent an ACL injury by getting the right exercise technique and avoiding sudden movements that put stress on the knee. Don't forget to strengthen your muscles and warm up before exercising.
Practice until you get used to using the right muscles in each type of exercise. That way, you can exercise without worrying about the risk of injury.
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