Landing Well Can Prevent Knee Injuries

The knee is a hinge joint, it bends and straightens and is not designed to twist and rotate. Knee injuries often occur during twisting or rotation, such as a sudden pivot, or having your leg caught by an opponent or object.

We have many muscles around our knee to produce, absorb, control, and transfer load. Deeper ligaments within our knee, including the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), prevent the knee joint from twisting. The ACL cannot always cope with high or repeated loads. It is valuable to have the muscles around the knee functioning as well as possible, so the ligaments don't have to take sustained increased loads.

ACL Injury:

• Women are more at risk of ACL injury than men.

• ~ 70% of ACL injuries involve non-contact activities, such as changing direction and landing.

• People who have an ACL injury are at more risk, up to10x more, of developing knee osteoarthritis (OA), whether their injury is managed surgically, or not.

Prevention of ACL injury is important, for everyone.

Training programmes which include balance, strength, body awareness, and landing control have been proven to prevent knee injuries. Physiotherapy can help you with this.

Book a physiotherapy appointment to improve your physical ability, land well, and prevent injury.

Written by Ilana Hadfield