Establishment and Evaluation of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Program.

BACKGROUND: In female high school athletes, soccer continues to be a high-risk sport for sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Literature reviews indicate the best injury prevention programs (IPPs) focus on increasing core strength and proprioception in this age group.

PURPOSE: An IPP was created for a small Midwestern high school girls' soccer team. The goal of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the IPP on core strength and proprioception.

METHODS: The IPP incorporated functional movement applied science and exercises. Students were tested pre- and postseason. Results were analyzed using paired-samples t tests.

RESULTS: Statistically significant results in improved core measures were noted.

CONCLUSION: This IPP, which utilized functional movement and training, could be utilized by other teams for increasing core strength and proprioception of players, as well as adding to the body of literature utilizing functional movement.