Summary: The Injury Of Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a sport that is becoming more popular around the world. Lacrosse is a fast paced game that requires a lot of movement. In some cases, injury can occur. A common injury that occurs during a lacrosse game is tearing your ACL. ACL stands for anterior cruciate ligament. ACL is one of the four main ligaments you have in your knee. While playing lacrosse, you tend to make very quick movements, which can cause this tear to happen. Without this ligament, your knee will be unstable and surgery is essential. ACL tears in athletes happen far too often. The long recovery process is what motivates athletes to become a better player when they get back on the field. In many sport related studies, scientists have found that females participating
Examples of a women anatomical make up differ from men; having a wider pelvis, changes in estrogen levels, slower reflex time, flat footed landing, narrower intercondylar notch and smaller ACL (Noyers F, 2011). A quick movement and stopping suddenly while running fast causes the pop sound which can be the end of an athlete’s season. Some athletes experience a direct hit to the knee or stretch their knees farther than normal. Occasionally, when you shift your weight from one leg to the other with a twisting motion can also cause a tear. Strength training is the first step from preventing an ACL tear from happening. Proper conditioning and stretching can help as well. Coaches who are very informed can benefit their team from becoming safer players on and off the field. Many speed and balance training programs find ways to reduce injury. Leg muscle strength, core training, and proper footwear with orthotics can suppress the amount of traction in athletic shoes. This helps to minimize friction to avoid injury yet enhances transitional friction to allow peak performance in activities such as cutting and stopping (Westin,
Hours of physical therapy to rehabilitate the knee take lots of patience for recovery time. Starting physical therapy before and after ACL surgery is a great way to recover faster but remembering to take it slow, day by day is also as important. “The next four to six months are used to restore knee function to what it was before the injury. Strength, agility, and the ability to recognize the position of the knee are increased under the guidance of the physical therapist and surgeon. There is a balance between exercising too hard and not doing enough to rehabilitate the knee and the team approach of patient and therapist is useful (Buchholz, 2006).” Certain exercises like a simple knee bending increases mobility. Standing on a mini trampoline helps to retain knee balance. Practicing leg lifts upkeeps the torn ACL. Getting full knee range of motion before surgery limits complications. The goal is to get your knee back to normal. It is extremely important to keep up with daily physical therapy to move forward with the ACL process. Studies have shown, doing lots of treatment help women and their ACL tears to decrease the occurrence of it happening