ACL Injury Prevention For Athletes- Newsletter

That difference, Dr. Hurlbut believes, is the most practical reason girls are four to six times more likely than boys to suffer ACL tears. Doctors have proposed a number of other explanations such as hormonal influence, a wider pelvis which might influence the stability of the knee, and a slower neuromuscular reaction time. Dr.
Hurlbut thinks it’s the way girls play sports. “It’s natural for boys to play sports with bent knees,”  he says, “but girls are more likely to come to a stop with straight leg and not as likely to land with soft knees when they jump.”

As long ago as 1999, Dr. Hurlbut read an article in a medical journal advocating plyometric training for young female athletes to prevent ACL trauma. The article stoked his interest in injury prevention, an interest that remained. Now that his own two active daughters are reaching the peak age for ACL injuries (15-16), Dr. Hurlbut was
personally interested in finding someone who shared his passion and interest in a type of training designed to lessen the epidemic.

Hurlbut says, “Sports acceleration programs for student atheletes have become increasingly popular, but I’ve seen a lot of damage from these programs that just push kids until they puke. I treated one girl who suffered chronic knee pain from just three months of training. There is no evidence that strength training prevents ACL injuries, but with training that emphasizes bent knees including plyometrics, injuries can be reduced by as much as 69%.”

When Dr. Hurlbut called me about his idea to offer an injury prevention clinic for girls at Lincoln Racquet Club, I was immediately onboard. Since my knee injury, I have a healthy respect for knees, and I’ve learned a lot from my own rehabilitation and physical therapy. More and more I’ve come to believe in a multi-faceted approach to training emphasizing exercises that employ plyometrics, balance training, and core conditioning. I’m thankful for Dr. Hurlbut’s encouragement to offer the sports injury prevention clinic. The girls and I are having a good time while working hard to protect those knees!

Zach’s a hard working athlete who came to me 16 weeks ago on the advice of his dad and personal tennis coach, David
Northey. David talked to me about Zach’s game deficiencies, and basically we’ve designed a sport’s specific program to prevent injury and strengthen those problem areas. Twice a week, Zach and I meet for strength and conditioning training. He says he’s now stronger, faster, and quicker. He’s also noticed he’s quicker to the ball, has a quicker first step, better coordination, a better lateral, and a stronger serve. Zach has won 16 straight tournaments, the last one just this week. Congratulations Zach!

 Broiled Salmon

Ingredients:
1  scallion, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-
   sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh
    ginger
1 pound center-cut
   salmon fillet, skinned
   and cut into 4 portions
1 teaspoon toasted
   sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dis- solved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let mar inate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.
2. Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 234 calories; 13 g fat (3 g sat, 5 g mono); 67 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrate; 23 g protein; 0 g fiber; 335 mg sodium; 444 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Selenium (60% daily value), excellent source of omega-3s.

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder mixed with 12-16oz of Fruit Punch Gatorade.