Video: Am I at risk of tearing my ACL? How do I prevent an ACL Injury? How do I prevent an ACL tear?

There are a number of factors that influence the risk of ACL injury. While some factors are out of your control there are many things you can do to decrease your risk of an ACL injury. Strengthening the muscles surrounding the ACL as well as working to improve sport-specific techniques like jumping, landing, or change of direction will lower your risk of an ACL injury.

Below, watch Zacharie answer the questions "am I at risk of tearing my ACL?" and "how do I prevent an ACL injury?". The video also details things you can do to reduce your risk of injury.

Read the full blog that discusses risk of tearing your ACL and how you can prevent an ACL injury and re-injury here.

Read all 8 of Zacharie's blogs here!

The Curovate app has rehab protocols for ACL injury. Download our Curovate physical therapy app from the links below. Curovate is an app for at-home physical therapy exercises following a knee replacement, ACL surgery, ACL injury or hip replacement. Curovate also provides daily video guided strengthening exercises, the ability to measure knee range of motion, in-app chat with a physical therapist to answer your surgery and recovery questions, and educational blogs and webinars.

If you need further customized assistance during your ACL recovery check out our Virtual Physical Therapy page to book your 1-on-1 video session with a physical therapist.

Other Blogs Related to ACL Injury

• What is an ACL and How is It Injured?
• I injured my ACL, what should I do?
• Why female soccer players suffer more ACL injuries
• Turf leads to more ACL injuries - fact or fiction?
• How to prevent ACL injuries
• When can I return to sport after an ACL injury or surgery?
• After I wake up from ACL surgery, what should I expect?
• What does my ACL recovery timeline look like?
• Is ACL surgery painful?
• Where is my new ACL coming from? What are the most common areas for an ACL graft?
• Can an ACL injury lead to arthritis in the future?
• Did I retear my ACL graft?
• Is my ACL graft weaker than my original ACL? Or is my ACL graft stronger than my original ACL?

References

1. Alentorn-Geli, E., Myer, G. D., Silvers, H. J., Samitier, G., Romero, D., Lázaro-Haro, C., & Cugat, R. (2009). Prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players. Part 1: Mechanisms of injury and underlying risk factors. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy, 17(7), 705-729.

2. Alentorn-Geli, E., Myer, G. D., Silvers, H. J., Samitier, G., Romero, D., Lázaro-Haro, C., & Cugat, R. (2009). Prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players. Part 2: a review of prevention programs aimed to modify risk factors and to reduce injury rates. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy, 17(8), 859-879.

3. Dai, B., Herman, D., Liu, H., Garrett, W. E., & Yu, B. (2012). Prevention of ACL injury, part II: effects of ACL injury prevention programs on neuromuscular risk factors and injury rate. Research in Sports Medicine, 20(3-4), 198-222.

4. Dragoo, J. L., Braun, H. J., & Harris, A. H. (2013). The effect of playing surface on the incidence of ACL injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association American Football. The Knee, 20(3), 191-195.

5. Evans, K. N., Kilcoyne, K. G., Dickens, J. F., Rue, J. P., Giuliani, J., Gwinn, D., & Wilckens, J. H. (2012). Predisposing risk factors for non-contact ACL injuries in military subjects. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy, 20(8), 1554-1559.

6. Micheo, W., Hernández, L., & Seda, C. (2010). Evaluation, management, rehabilitation, and prevention of anterior cruciate ligament injury: current concepts. PM&R, 2(10), 935-944.

7. Paterno, M. V., Rauh, M. J., Schmitt, L. C., Ford, K. R., & Hewett, T. E. (2012). Incidence of contralateral and ipsilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury after primary ACL reconstruction and return to sport. Clinical journal of sport medicine: official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, 22(2), 116.

8. Pfeifer, C. E., Beattie, P. F., Sacko, R. S., & Hand, A. (2018). Risk factors associated with non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury: a systematic review. International journal of sports physical therapy, 13(4), 575.

9. Price, M. J., Tuca, M., Cordasco, F. A., & Green, D. W. (2017). Nonmodifiable risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injury. Current opinion in pediatrics, 29(1), 55-64.

10. Sanfridsson, J., Arnbjörnsson, A., Friden, T., Ryd, L., Svahn, G., & Jonsson, K. (2001). Femorotibial rotation and the Q-angle related to the dislocating patella. Acta Radiologica, 42(2), 218-224.

11. Wetters, N., Weber, A. E., Wuerz, T. H., Schub, D. L., & Mandelbaum, B. R. (2016). Mechanism of injury and risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injury. Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine, 24(1), 2-6.