Prevention of ACL Injuries with Proprioception TrainingIntroductionProprioception training can be used by youth soccer coaches and college soccer coaches to reduce the incidence of ACL injuries in soccer players. The training needed can be provided as a small part of daily soccer fitness activities with very little or no training equipment. When equipment is used at home or at the field, only modestly priced equipment such as balance pads, wobble boards, or fitness bands will be needed. Sports Medicine Research on ACL InjuriesFirst, you may find that the two sports medicine articles referenced here provide you some additional understanding to current best practices for ACL prevention in soccer and ACL rehabilitation in order to help you communicate with or better understand what your club's trainer and sports medicine doctor is trying to accomplish for your players.
The first article summarizes a controlled study completed by four orthopedic surgeons at S. Maria hospital at the University of Perugia in Terni, Italy. At the start of the study, it was known that proprioceptive training had been shown to reduce the incidence of ankle sprains, and to speed rehabilitation from ACL injuries. The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not proprioceptive training could reduce the incidence of ACL. The subjects, 600 male soccer players from 40 different semiprofessional and amateur teams, the effectiveness of a 5 phase proprioceptive training program was assessed. A control group of 300 players from other, comparable teams was selected, and both groups went through training, with the 600-member group receiving special balance training. Both groups received clinical examinations, KT-1000 measurements, MRI and CAT, and arthroscopy where indicated. In summary, an incidence of 1.15 ACL injures per team per year was experienced in the control group, but only 0.15 injuries per team per year in the treated group, producing a highly significant statistical finding.
This second article explains the theory and mechanics of proprioceptive training, and describes exercises, exercise tools, tailoring of training programs, and sport-specific training that can be accomplished to speed return to play. Proprioception - sense of joint position, is defined, and the effect of injuries on proprioception is explained. There are some subtle concepts mixed in with the basic ideas that should not be overlooked by coaches. Specifically, a reference quoted indicates that as little as 20mL knee infusion can cause a loss of as much of 60% of the capability of the vastus medialis (at the bottom of the quadriceps). The coach should infer from this that serious damage, such as lateral patellar dislocation or tears in the VMO, or even more serious ligament damage within the joint, could result from loss of proprioception caused by a previous injury that causes swelling above or near the knee. In the following article, the author suggests that although proprioception training has been demonstrated benefits for injury prevention and rehabilitation, it may be possible that the exercises used for this purpose do not actually improve proprioception as it is most technically defined. The authors suggest that, in fact, proprioception training may accomplish other physical or neurological changes that account for beneficial effects observed.
The Evidence for Proprioception Training for ACL PreventionTo conclude, it appears that there is a great deal of practical and clinical evidence to suggest that exercise programs that center around proprioception training help reduce the incidence of certain types of knee and ankle injury, and that the training can also provide for quicker return to play after injury. There is some doubt that the exercises actually provide the benefits in the specific pathway as originally postulated. However, to the sports coach, it probably is sufficient that the exercises do seem to be effective, regardless of the exact mechanism by which they work. Start an ACL Prevention Program for Your Team
Top youth and junior soccer clubs have been hiring certified athletic trainers, physical therapists, and strength and conditioning specialists to work with their top teams. Good results have been achieved, with reductions in ACL incidence and improvements in leg strength and agility. Unfortunately, all teams U12 and older need their own program, and most are not getting the training they need to be athletically competitive and healthy. In practical terms, training to be healthy at U14 should start at U12. Coaches can now establish their own strength, agility, plyometric, and proprioception program by adopting a complete program such is offered by Brian Schiff and Brian Smith in their excellent training book Protecting the Athlete's Knee. This spiral bound notebook offers a complete 8-week training program, including workout grids with a complete plan. More than 80 pages of exercises and advice are included. The exercises are all logically organized, one exercises per page. With it's large print and plastic covers, you can take this training book right to the field. A complete set of topics are covered, including
A section is provided to explain ACL injuries, and exercises that will help the coach work with the player to assess the likelihood that the player will sustain an ACL injury. Buy a copy of Protecting the Athlete's Knee, not for your bookshelf, but for your car, next to the soccer balls. Buy this book and take it to the field, and use these exercises at every training session as part of your training program. Proprioception Knee and Ankle ExercisesAn interesting slide show on the web authored by Leslie Russek, PhD, PT, OCS, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Clarkson University and the Canton-Potsdam Hospital describes a variety of knee and ankle conditions for which proprioception training is appropriate. The PowerPoint slides from Dr. Russek suggest that athletes with knee problems
can benefit from
The slide show also suggests that appropriate treatment for athletes with ankle problems such as recurrent ankle sprains and other injuries can be benefit from a series of exercises including
The author doesn't include lecture notes with the presentation, but it is probably intended that some of these exercises be combined as therapy moves forward. For example, the "dynamic balance" exercise that mentions throwing a ball can in practice be advanced to an exercise that has the athlete standing without shoes on a balance pad, balancing on one foot, and throwing a small heavy ball against a rebound device. Proprioception and Strength Program for ACL Injury AvoidanceOver the last several years, we have had good luck in avoiding ACL injuries in girl soccer players with a simple program outlined here. It's not based on clinical trials, but on practical experience and guesswork. The key components are shown in the table below. For more details, refer to the exercises and photos in Protecting the Athlete's Knee.
Balance Pad and Bands
We have received a catalog from Power Systems showing many of these products. The catalog doesn't seem to show the Airex balance pad, but it's on their web site. We have not ordered from the company, which mails its catalogs from Knoxville, Tennessee. Although wobble boards and similar products have been around a long time, some newer and less well known products have appeared. A typical product of this type is the Jump Sole. This is basically a shoe with a special unstable surface that installs under the sole. We don't have any reports on the effectiveness of these shoes. Why a Balance Pad?Balance pads are appear to be made of multiple layers of foam rubber, each layer of varying density. The outer shell of the balance pad is made of closed cell foam or a similar synthetic product that does not adsorb water. Although wobble boards were well established and have shown proven benefits, balance pads may be more appropriate for soccer coaches and their players. First, the entire balance pad is flat, and its action or reaction to the athlete's movements will not dismount the athlete forcefully. Second, because the pad is flat and soft, it can be introduced and used regularly at the soccer field on the turf, yet still be used daily at home on carpet, linoleum, on the back deck, or in the basement fitness area. Sports Medicine Links about Proprioception and ACL ReconstructionThere are quite a few interesting links on the web describing appropriate sports fitness training to improve proprioception or to assist with rehabilitation following injury. A few representative links of interest to soccer coaches, parents, and soccer players follow.
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Proprioception Training |
The Airex Balance Pads we have been using were purchased through
M-F Athletic Supply, doing business as 