TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - An anterior cruciate ligament  (ACL) injury risk screening and reduction program for high school female athletes: a pilot study
JO  - International journal of sports physical therapy
A1  - Kuntz, Allison
A1  - Peters, Olivia
A1  - Bello, Andrew
A1  - Perkins, Ryan
A1  - Monti, Ryan
A1  - Murray, Leigh
SP  - 1318
EP  - 1329
VL  - 17
IS  - 7
N2  - BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury causes physical, mental, and financial burdens. Therefore, it is imperative to screen, identify, and educate athletes who are at high-risk. The combination of screening and education could identify those at risk and potentially reduce future injuries. <br><br>PURPOSE: The purpose was to conduct a feasible community pre-season screening program for high school female athletes for the presence of known modifiable risk factors that predispose them to sustaining a non-contact ACL injury. STUDY DESIGN: Non-experimental prospective study. <br><br>METHODS: A convenience sample of 15 healthy female athletes were recruited from local high schools, consisting of 11 soccer players and four basketball players.  A pre-season screening program was designed encompassing four stations that addressed modifiable neuromuscular and biomechanical risk factors including range of motion (ROM), jump-landing technique, strength, and balance. Athletes were categorized into high-risk versus low-risk groups based on cutoff scores previously established in the literature. <br><br>RESULTS: Every athlete met the high-risk cutoff score for at least one extremity during the ROM screening, and some met high-risk cutoff scores for more than one ROM. Out of all four categories tested, lower extremity ROM demonstrated the greatest deficits. <br><br>CONCLUSION: This study identified athletes as having multiple modifiable risk factors that can be addressed with training and exercises. This supports implementing a pre-season program aimed at screening for injury risk factors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2159-2896
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.26603/001c.40370
ID  - ref1
ER  -