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Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury - Prevention

Alternative Names

Cruciate ligament injury - anterior; ACL injury; Knee injury - anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)

Prevention:

Use proper techniques when playing sports or exercising. Several women's college sports programs have reduced ACL tears through a training program that teaches athletes how to minimize the stress they place on their ACL.

Although the issue is controversial, the use of knee braces during aggressive athletic activity (such as football) has not been shown to decrease the incidence of knee injuries and may give the player a false sense of security.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury

Anterior cruciate ligament repair - series

Reviewed last on: 7/17/2008
Andrew L. Chen, MD, MS, Orthopedist, The Alpine Clinic, Littleton, NH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Renstrom P, Ljungqvist A, Arendt E, Beynnon B, Fukubayashi T, Garrett W, et al. Non-contact ACL injuries in female athletes: an International Olympic Committee current concepts statement. Br J Sports Med. 2008;42:394-412.

Birmingham TB, Bryant DM, Giffin JR, Litchfield RB, Kramer JF, Donner A, Fowler PJ. A randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of functional knee brace and neoprene sleeve use after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Am J Sports Med. 2008;36:648-655.

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