Pilates and ACL

What is a Torn ACL?

ACL or the Anterior Cruciate Ligament is a ligament in the knee that atheletes would do well to look after. It is the one ligament that is susceptible to injury and tearing because of the stresses and strains involved in athletics and sports.

The best way to take care of your knee if you are an athlete is a good warm up routine practiced before the main exercise, especially if it involves jerky, sudden or quick movements. Usually before strenuous sports, it is important to warm up the muscles in preparation for the rigorous endurance that they are about to go through. The idea is to break a light sweat through movement done easily and at a pace that is light. There are structured warm up exercises as well, that have been developed specifically for athletes who play soccer and other equally stressful sports. Skipping or running can also be considered a good warm up before the main course, so to speak.

Preventing the Occurrence of ACL

For an athlete who intends to protect their ACL and build overall stamina and endurance, fitness routines that aim to strengthen the muscles that support the knee joint are a must. Much of this strength building can even be achieved through a mat workout within the comfort of your own home. While this is one of the first reasons why pilates works for protecting the ACL, it is by no means the last. Pilates consists of a set of exercises that are based on controlled movement, stretching, muscle awareness, and core strength building. Pilates improves range of motion, builds stability, develops a strong core, and so becomes the ideal workout before the workout, so to speak. Since flexibility is the all-important factor in preventing ACL, pilates scores once again as the ideal exercise routine for athletes.

The flexibility of connective tissue, ligaments, tendons, and muscles makes way for the joints to work in their full range of motion without injury and to be able to handle unexpected shocks without sacrificing stability. The best way to achieve this is through body awareness and relaxed stretching that then progresses to something more intense. For all of these reasons pilates is the ideal way to protect those knees from succumbing to the hard knocks they will inevitably get on the sports field.

Resource

1. Torn-ACL