Physicians Recommend ACL Injury Prevention for Young Athletes Due to Skyrocketing Numbers

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Feb 25, 2015, 10:00 ET

CHICAGO, Feb. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- It's basketball season and that typically means a jump in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Concerned about the skyrocketing number of ACL injuries, sports medicine physicians at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (MOR) are putting the full-court press on this season-ending injury.

According to recent studies, physicians are seeing an exponential increase in ACL tears. In just five years, the total number of ACL-injured patients under 25 seen by MOR physicians tripled, and the number of young female ACL patients quadrupled.

"I am very concerned about what has become a pandemic in the U.S., not only at the professional level, but also in younger athletes," says Dr. Brian Cole, MOR sports medicine physician and head team physician for the Chicago Bulls. He performed ACL surgery on Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. "It's because athletes are competing at higher levels, running faster, and occasionally lacking proper conditioning."

Alarmed by skyrocketing ACL injuries, MOR sports medicine physicians are recommending yearly screenings and prevention programs for athletes vulnerable to ACL injuries.

The ACL is a ligament that connects the thighbone to the shinbone. It stabilizes the knee. Athletes who participate in sports that require pivoting, accelerating, or stopping quickly are more at risk. A recent study says specific types of physical training can reduce the risk of ACL injury by as much as 72 percent.

"ACL injuries are putting our nation's young athletes in danger of having life-long knee problems," says Dr. Bernard Bach, a team physician for the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox, who emphasized that MOR has a new screening to help athletes determine if they are at risk of ACL injuries. It's called the MOR Functional Sports Assessment.

Functional Sports Assessment (FSA)

The MOR FSA is a series of tests available for athletes interested in decreasing their risk of knee injuries to stay competitive and for those recovering from an ACL injury who need guidance for a safe return to sports. The FSA is offered in the MOR Rehabilitation Department, 1611 West Harrison Street, Chicago. The one-hour test requires a doctor's prescription and costs $250.00. Download a brochure, or call or email for scheduling (312-432-2513; [email protected]).

For free bag tags with ACL injury prevention tips: www.kneesforlife.org. For information on the physicians at MOR: www.rushortho.com.

SOURCE Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush