Split Squats with Free Weights
The key to keeping female athletes playing their sport and continuing to the college level are strong hip abductor muscles. The hip abductor, otherwise known as the glute medius muscle, is located along the side of the hip and works to keep their pelvis level while running, kicking or throwing as well as supporting the knee during sharp turns, pivots or long distance running. Female athletes have a greater risk of knee injuries, particularly of the ACL, meniscus or MCL, because they have a high rate of weakness of their hip abductors coupled with a wider hip width that angles inwards at the knee when compared to thier male counterparts.
Starting at an early age, it’s important to teach girls proper warm-ups and age-appropriate stengthening exercises to prevent weakness in this key muscle group. For younger athletes, you can start side step or monster step drills with elastic resistance band around their ankles to target the hip abductors in a safe, fun manner. As their coordination improves, you can also add standard lateral shuttles or lateral grapvine shuttles to their conditioning program. At the high school level, challenge them by doing standard or lateral step-ups on a step-up box, single leg squats, lunges and split squats with appropriate free weights.
If your athlete starts complaining of significant knee pain or swelling after a particular incident such as a sharp turn or fall, they should be immediately evaluated by a sports chiropractor because there is a high risk of ligament or meniscus damage. If the knee pain starts more gradually, have the athlete start applying ice 2-3 times a day, reduce their play time and make sure they are completing all of their stretches and warm-ups. If the pain gets worse or does not go away within 2 weeks, have them evaluated by a sports chiropractor. Most knee injuries can be treated with therapy, taping and strengthening exercises when caught early. The longer your athlete plays on an injured joint, the greater chance that they might need surgical intervention to repair the damage.
Dr. Erin E. Ducat is a Board-Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist that specializes in the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of pediatric and adult athletic injuries at Ducat Chiropractic & Sports Medicine in Bloomingdale, IL. For more information on the prevention of injuries or Dr. Ducat’s sports medicine & one-on-one rehabilitation services, go to her website at www.ducatchiropractic.com/the-sports-clinic.
Source: http://ducatchiropractic.com/2012/07/the-hip-bone-connects-to-the-knee-bone/
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