Friday, January 11, 2013

Might As Well Jump

An article from Science Daily

Go Ahead and Jump: Learning How to Properly Jump and Land Can Help Female Athletes Avoid Serious Knee Injuries

Female athletes tear their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) six to eight times more than male athletes who play the same sport. A leading sports medicine surgeon believes incorporating a jumping and landing program into a regular training regimen can help keep women on the field and out of the operating room.

"The jump program not only strengthens the knee, but it also help teach female athletes the motor control required to cut, jump and land properly," said Kelly Osburn, a Methodist Center for Sports Medicine physical therapist who helps female athletes recover from ACL injuries. "Most of my patients leave physical therapy stronger than they were before their injury."
Jumping is one area that I still feel insecure about during karate training...even after 5 years.   My ACL tear occurred while landing a jump on a matted surface.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is really interesting - some of the older females at our club including myself do not find jumping that easy e.g. jumping turning kicks without putting unnecessary weight when landing.

Michele said...

Nicole: Thank you for commenting. In retrospect, I wish I spent more time practicing plyometrics post ACL rehab.