Program Saves Young Girls’ Knees
Reported January 13, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new program designed for young female soccer athletes can reduce risk of injury and elongate careers on the field.
A new soccer-specific exercise program featuring strengthening exercises and improved motion pattern routines appears to reduce the risk of knee injuries — specifically, of the anterior cruciate ligament — among young female soccer players.
Researchers studied 777 girls on 48 different soccer teams who participated in the program and 729 girls who served as controls. Of the girls who participated in the program, a total of four injuries occurred; 23 injuries occurred in the control group.
Data show a 77 percent reduction in the incidence of knee injuries in players who participated in the program.
“The rate of injury was not only lower among teams participating in the preventative program but the injuries that did occur were also less severe,” study authors wrote.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, January 11, 2010