APTA Releases Injury Prevention Tips in Observance of National Physical Therapy Month
ALEXANDRIA, VA, September 25, 2008 — The American Physical
Therapy Association (APTA) is urging female athletes —
particularly soccer players — to consider a new warm-up program to
help lower their growing risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
injuries. The announcement comes as APTA celebrates National Physical Therapy Month this
October, an annual observance designed to educate the public about the
important role physical therapists and physical therapist assistants
play in the health care system.
Concurring with a new study published in the American Journal of
Sports Medicine (August 2008), APTA says specialized stretching,
strengthening, agility and jumping exercises could lower the overall ACL
injury rate among female athletes.
The study evaluated outcomes of NCAA Division 1 female soccer players
who performed the Prevent Injury, Enhance Performance (PEP) program,
designed by physical therapists at Santa Monica (CA) Orthopedic and
Sports Medicine Group. Those who performed the PEP program had an
overall ACL injury rate 41 percent lower than a group of female athletes
who did their regular warm-up. This was one of the largest studies
conducted in the NCAA with 1,435 athletes participating.
The PEP program, one example of the many physical therapy-based
programs that have demonstrated an equal ability to reduce ACL injuries
among female athletes, consists of sport-specific agility exercises and
addresses potential deficits in the strength and neuromuscular
coordination of the stabilizing muscles around the knee joint. Physical
therapist and APTA spokesperson Holly Silvers, MPT, who helped develop
PEP, says, "The program was created to address the deficits that are
seen in female athletes, particularly weakness in the lateral hip
muscles, gluteal, and core muscles." These deficits can contribute to
ACL injuries, notes Silvers.
According to physical therapist and APTA spokesperson Mark Paterno,
PT, MS, MBA, SCS, ATC, coordinator of orthopedic and sports physical
therapy at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, recent
research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine
found that ACL tears occur four times more frequently in females than in
males involved in the same amount of sports participation. He says the
difference in neuromuscular control, or the way our muscles contract and
react, is one of four primary factors contributing to why women are more
susceptible to knee injuries than men. Other discrepancies are
anatomical (men and women are structurally differently), hormonal
(women's hormonal makeup affects the integrity of the ligament, making
it more lax), and bio-mechanical (the positions our knees get in during
athletic activities).
Sample exercises athletes can perform to avoid ACL
injuries can be found on the APTA Web site, www.moveforwardpt.com.
"Women perform athletic tasks in a more upright position, putting
added stress on parts of the knee such as the ACL, resulting in less
controlled rotation of the joint," said Paterno. "While men use their
hamstring muscles more often, women rely more on their quadriceps, which
puts the knee at constant risk. To combat these natural tendencies,
physical therapists may develop a treatment program to improve strength,
flexibility, and coordination, as well as to counteract incorrect
existing patterns of movement that may be damaging to joints," he
added.
Silvers notes that physical therapist-designed programs can teach
athletes how to avoid abnormal movement patterns and lessen stress on
the knee, which may include exercises to strengthen hamstring and core
muscles.
"Whether patients are athletes or not, physical therapist expertise
includes not only rehabilitation and restoration of normal levels of
function, but also education regarding how to prevent further injury,"
says Silvers.
This year's National Physical Therapy Month theme is "Physical
Therapy: It's All About Movement." APTA members nationwide are
participating in observances and events that focus on the importance of
movement - ranging from its effect on improving health and well-being to
reducing pain and preventing injuries. For more information on National
Physical Therapy Month, visit www.apta.org/nptm.
APTA (www.apta.org) is a national organization representing physical
therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students nationwide. Its
goal is to foster advancements in physical therapist education,
practice, and research. Consumers can visit www.findapt.us to find
a physical therapist in their area, as well as www.moveforwardpt.com for physical therapy news and
information.