Knee Injury Prevention: Exercises to Keep You From Getting Sidelined

734 | september 2018 | volume 48 | number 9 | journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy

jospt perspectives for patients

Knee Injury Prevention

Exercises to Keep You From Getting Sidelined

nee and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have

the potential to sideline an athlete for an entire season

or even more than a year. American founding father

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “An ounce of pre-

vention is worth a pound of cure.” Does this quote hold

true for knee injuries?

The simple answer is yes. The goal of a knee injury prevention

guideline, published in the September 2018 issue of JOSPT, is to

make recommendations based on the vast amount of published lit-

erature to prevent knee and ACL injuries. Whether you are an ath-

lete, coach, or parent, this guideline outlines the best strategies to

prevent injuries, based on scientiﬁc research. Ultimately, the best

prevention strategies are the result of a combination of the leading

science, the physical demands of the sport and/or athletic event,

an assessment by the coach and medical team, and input from the

athlete. This guideline helps inform the ﬁrst step in that process.

NEW INSIGHTS

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Expert clinicians and researchers screened 3526

articles, then closely examined 752 articles, and

ultimately selected and summarized the 33 best articles

for this clinical practice guideline. Guideline authors

focused on determining whether these programs were

eective in preventing injuries, which type of exercises

were common across eective prevention programs,

and key parameters of exercise intensity and duration

required to prevent knee and ACL injuries.

The evidence strongly supports the implementation by

clinicians, coaches, parents, and athletes of exercise-

based knee and ACL injury prevention programs

before athletic training sessions or games. Programs

eective in preventing injuries include a combination

of dynamic stretches (ﬂexibility), running drills,

strength training, core strength, and plyometrics.

Athletes should complete these programs several

times each week, with each session lasting at least

20 minutes, and they should exercise a minimum

of 30 minutes weekly. These prevention programs

should start during the sport’s preseason and

continue through the regular season.

To see results, clinicians, coaches, parents, and

athletes should all help ensure that the programs are

routinely performed before and during the season.

Because most of the research studies they examined

included high school and collegiate athletes, the

researchers strongly recommend these programs for

athletes between the ages of 12 and 25 years, and

especially female athletes younger than 18 years of

age. However, these programs may also beneﬁt older

athletes. Your physical therapist can work with you

and your coaches to help design the right program

for you.

JOSPT PERSPECTIVES FOR PATIENTS is a public service of the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

. The information and recommendations contained

here are a summary of the referenced research article and are not a substitute for seeking proper health care to diagnose and treat this condition. For more information

on the management of this condition, contact your physical therapist or other health care provider specializing in musculoskeletal disorders. JOSPT Perspectives

for Patients may be photocopied noncommercially by physical therapists and other health care providers to share with patients. The ocial journal of the Academy

of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and a recognized

journal of 36 international partners, JOSPT strives to oer high-quality research, immediately applicable clinical material, and useful supplemental information on

EXERCISES TO PREVENT KNEE AND ACL INJURY. Programs eective in preventing knee and ACL injuries include (A)

dynamic stretches or ﬂexibility drills for the quadriceps, hamstrings, hip adductors, hip ﬂexors, and calf muscles;

(B) running drills, such as forward and backward running, zigzag running, and bounding; (C) strength training

such as double- and single-leg squats, lunges, and Nordic hamstring exercises; (D) core strength exercises,

such as planks and bridges; and (E) plyometric exercises, such as single-leg hopping forward and backward, ice

skaters, and sport-speciﬁc drills. Programs should be customized to address the demands associated with a

speciﬁc sport or athletic activity.

This JOSPT Perspectives for Patients is based on an article by Arundale et al titled “Exercise-Based Knee and Anterior

Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention” (J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2018;48(9):A1-A42. https://doi.org/10.2519/

jospt.2018.0303).

This Perspectives article was written by a team of JOSPT’s editorial board and sta, Deydre S. Teyhen, PT, PhD, Editor,

and Jeanne Robertson, Illustrator.

For this and more topics, visit JOSPT Perspectives for Patients online at www.jospt.org.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2018;48(9):734. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.0509

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Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy®

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