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On the School Field, Better Safe Than Sorry
If your daughter is a soccer, basketball or lacrosse player, you might consider one of the special "jump training" programs developed to lower the risk of ACL tears among women -- or, better yet, see if her coach or school or league is willing to adopt one for all participants.
The Cincinnati SportsMedicine Research and Education Foundation, for example, has developed a six-week sequence to teach women who are not naturally "soft" jumpers how to change their landings so the force is better distributed.
  The Single Leg Hop and Hold is one of several jumps that the Cincinnati SportsMedicine Research and Education Foundation recommends to help adolescent female athletes overcome imbalances. The athlete starts out on one foot with the knee slightly bent, hops forward as far as possible and successfully lands with knee bent and holds a deep squat position for five seconds. (Cincinnati Sports Medicine Research And Education Foundation) |
Frank Noyes, president of the foundation, offers a simple test for any concerned parent: Play hopscotch and watch what happens. If your child wobbles on a one-foot landing, or if the leg is straight when she comes down, she is pressuring the ACL.
"If you land with a straight knee, that is dangerous. . . . If you have the knee joint anywhere away from the rest of the body . . . it is going to produce an imbalance," Noyes said. During jump training sessions, "when they land, we don't want to hear them land," but learn instead to flex the knees.
Finally, a no-brainer: hydration. The weather here can be brutal into September, and teams should be given a water break roughly every 15 minutes. In my experience, high school coaches are good on this front. But if you are observing from the sidelines and notice that is not happening, say something.
Pay particular attention in humid weather, when sweat still robs the body of water and salt but cools less well because it can't evaporate as readily. Dehydration during a workout can lead to cramps, headaches and dizziness tied to heat exhaustion, or even heat stroke.
If you are in doubt about what's happening, put kids on the scale. If they weigh in at 150 in the morning and are down to 148 after practice, they will need to knock down about two pints of water over the rest of the day -- roughly a pint per pound. (As teenagers they may not want to talk about this, but, for the record, let them know that if they are properly hydrated their urine will be on the clear side. If it's dark yellow, they need to drink more.)
Yeah, all this precaution and injury-prevention stuff can be a drag. But it's a whole lot better than surgery or weeks of therapy, not to mention better than having them home on the couch.
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