
To the Editor:
Athletic Training
Ounces of Prevention
TO THE EDITOR:
Re “A Leg Up on a Knee Injury” (Phys Ed, March 25):
Establishing a neuromuscular re-education injury prevention program for adolescent and college sports activities is an excellent start to addressing the high rate of A.C.L. tears in this population. However, dismissing a more in-depth assessment of individual athletes because of higher costs neglects those who may benefit from a more thorough screening. Clinically, I have found that if you evaluate individual athletes for deficits in posture, range of motion, strength, muscle length, balance, endurance, body mechanics and power, and design injury prevention programs based on the athlete’s presentation, the risk of injury decreases substantially. The cost for athletes, their families and their schools in dealing with A.C.L. tears is quite high. Incorporating comprehensive programs may be more cost-effective than we think.
Caryn Bregman
Montclair, N.J.
The writer is a physical therapist.
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