As many of you may have heard/learned by now, female athletes have 2 – 6 times the risk of ACL injuries as male athletes (Moeller, 1997). Research is showing that a preventive training program can significantly reduce the risk of injury 2 – 4 fold. I have learned of two particular programs. One is through a sports performance enhancement group in Charlotte , NC run by Alan D. Tyson, Epicenter Sports Performance Enhancement – www.epicenterperformance.com and Alan has published a book including a diagnostic test to help determine the propensity of an athlete to suffer an ACL injury. The other is called the Santa Monica ACL Injury Prevention Project (PEP). For a charitable donation, they will make a videotape and program available to club teams. I believe they also ask that you complete survey information so that they can continue to add to their database of research. The contact person is Holly Silvers who can be reached at (310) 829-2663 ext 1283. The website is www.aclprevent.com/pepprogram.htm. Both of these programs have specific exercises that are done as part of a warm-up.
