Knee Injury Prevention

One truth in life is not “if you get an injury in soccer” it is “when you get an injury”.  Athletes inherently get injured, it will happen.  We do a lot to take care of injured athletes by having Certified Athletic Trainers or “Physios” on the pitch to take care of the bloody and maimed once an injury occurs.  These professionals do a great job of assessing and caring for whatever damage the soccer demons can dish out on the unwary athlete.  Maybe we need to focus more on prevention eh?

Many types of injuries occur in this game we love but none have the power to destroy a playing career like knee injuries.  Knees just seem to have a magnetic attraction for trouble.  As a youth I was convinced that everybody’s knees hurt after every game and I just needed to tough it out.  It wasn’t until I became involved in cycling (and after a couple of surgeries) that I realized that knees don’t have to hurt all the time and can be trained to prevent injury and pain.  I turned to cycling after realizing that my knees were too shot for anything that had any impact, turning or twisting.  As my knee musculature became stronger (and my wife said they looked hot …no really!) I noticed that I suffered less and less knee pain while doing other activities like soccer and basketball.  Hmmm, something to that I suspected.  Later as I studied Exercise Physiology it all fell into place for me.

Obviously, I am an advocate for cycling as a training modality for soccer players.  Convincing American kids to get out of the car and use their bike is a bit of a challenge in this day and age.  However we as coaches should really work to encourage and teach our athletes that their bodies need proper care and maintenance.  I also strongly suggest that proper weight training be incorporated.  By proper I mean that an athlete should not go to Biff the Steroid Stallion of the neighborhood gym for training.  I suggest that every team look for someone who is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) in the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).  Outside the US you should look for a legitimate specialist and many countries have organizations that are affiliated with the NSCA.

Females are more prone to ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries than males.  One way to easily assess an athlete’s probability of ACL injury is to simply have them hop up and down dynamically on one leg and watch the direction that the knee moves upon landing.  An inward knee movement (think knock-kneed or valgus) seems to indicate that the athlete is more prone to ACL injury.  Whether you take the time to assess this or not, your athletes will be well served by training the key tools that they need for minimizing the risk of knee injury.   If you are a coach or an athlete, please take care of your assets.