DALLAS, TX -- 02/14/08 --
Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas has instituted an
exercise
program that experts say could dramatically reduce knee injuries among
female athletes, who suffer three times more anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) tears than males in comparable sports. The program was started when
orthopedic surgeon
Dr. Scott Paschal began seeing a rash of
serious knee injuries among North Texas female athletes.
"I was treating an unusually high number of girls with ACL tears and
decided we needed to do something about it," he said. "The good news is
that neuromuscular training programs have been shown to reduce the
incidence of ACL tears in female athletes, and the exercise program we have
developed, emphasizing core training, can reduce injury rates even
further."
The CORE Sports Enhancement and
Injury Reduction Program focuses on strengthening the body's core
muscles (abdominal, lumbar, pelvic and hip muscles), which are crucial to
lower body stability and strength. Females tend to have more knee injuries,
in part, because they have weaker core muscles and poorer pelvic stability
compared to males.
"One of the main risk factors for the different ACL-injury rates between
genders is the position of the knee joint at landing," Dr. Paschal said.
"Females tend to land from a jump in more upright, knock-kneed posture.
This position makes the knee more vulnerable to an ACL tear." A strong core
can prevent this problem, Dr. Paschal added.
An estimated 38,000 ACL injuries occur in female athletes per year in the
United States -- at an annual cost of $646 million.
Corey Eaton, a certified athletic trainer and CORE program director, said
the CORE program provides a foundation for high performance and helps
prevent injury. "Athletes that participate in other programs do not attain
the core foundation that is vital for competition and have a higher risk of
becoming injured."
The program focuses on establishing a strong core stability foundation in
each athlete through a series of progressively challenging exercises on the
stability ball.
"Research shows female athletes have poorer neuromuscular control versus
males," said Ken Locker, director of Presbyterian Sports Network. "The CORE
program will enhance neuromuscular control in part due to improvement of
landing position."
For more information or to register for a class, call 214-345-7074 or
972-672-1747.
Contact:
Stephen O'Brien
Public Relations manager
Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas
214.345.4960
214.759.2584 (Pager)
stephenobrien@texashealth.org
