Knee valgus is a major indicator in the body, which points toward an athlete having a higher chance at experiencing an ACL and/or MCL injury. It is fairly easy to detect, when athletes are running, jumping, lunging or squatting. When the knee comes in like the picture above is when the case of knee valgus is present. Most programs designed to prevent ACL injuries don’t address knee valgus, and give general exercises to help the issue. It is like forcing a car with a flat tire to carry more passengers–hoping that it will fix itself by putting all the weight on the other three wheels. In some situations, there is a possibility that it can somewhat heal, if the athlete never applies the same amount of pressure on that leg, which would cause a tear to the ACL. However, in most cases this type of training is inferior. Why not fix the tire?
The way we approach this is by strengthening the muscles causing the knee valgus. After that is well in progress, we can then move into an ACL prevention program. It is really difficult for me to grasp how most–if not all–programs miss this vital point. We have not had one single athlete work with us prior to their season and during the season, to turn around and then experience a non-contact ACL injury. Even for athletes who are coming off of an ACL injury or multiple ACL injuries, there has not been one instance of injury. It’s the attention to detail–and details like the knee valgus assessment–that set our athletes apart from the rest. They are always prepared to perform. Contact us now and let us help you take your game to the next level!
Sincerely,
Donny Mateaki
Very useful article! Thanks for sharing this Donny, these are tips that players, parents and coaches of all levels and sports should keep in mind.