This just in! We are partnering with The ACL Club to raise support and awareness for our research.
Show your pride and share your strength by purchasing gear from the Project ACL collection. All proceeds go towards supporting the research initiative.
The Project
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears are rampant in the women's soccer community. We are conducting research to find the cause of ACL tears and create a way to predict whether an athlete is at-risk. With this knowledge, we will be able to create the most effective ACL-injury prevention program to date. Our goal is to educate and strengthen female athletes, allowing them the joy of playing their sport without fear of injury. We believe that if we can develop meaningful data based on our research findings, we can help decrease the instance of ACL injury.
The Science
Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries are common in female athletes and often result in long-term consequences like Osteoarthritis. It is likely that the underlying mechanism responsible for ACL injury is a result of several different factors. No study has examined both physiological and biomechanical risk factors for injury and how the combination of risk factors may affect female soccer players. Additionally, limited information exists on the extent to which these factors change from pre to post season.
We will be studying 200 female soccer players over the course of a single soccer season in order to create a comprehensive risk profile of the ACL-injured athlete. All risk factors will be evaluated both before and after the playing season. At the end of the season, we will compare the data from uninjured athletes with those who tore their ACL and evaluate the most influential risk factors for injury.
This study will be the very first to build a comprehensive profile of the non-contact ACL-injured athlete. We are excited to create a more effective and comprehensive prevention protocol to better recognize those athletes who may be at high risk for ACL injury. The creation of a more accurate profile of the non-contact ACL-injured athlete may lead to a decrease in the instance of ACL injury in female soccer athletes.
For an even more in-depth look at the study, check out the abstract here.
The Philanthropy
As a thank-you for donations from gracious supporters, we will be hosting Project ACL, an ACL-prevention strengthening clinic for female athletes ages 12 and up.
The program will be designed and led by injury prevention expert and Certified Athletic Trainer, Liz Letchford. Liz is a PhD Student in Exercise Physiology at the University of Hawaii and one of the Bay Area's top exercise specialists. She has a passion for women's health and is currently conducting her research in the area of ACL injury and prevention.
Project ACL will use the latest, scientifically developed techniques to develop muscular strength and endurance and educate the girls on correct movement and technique. Participants will gain the advantage of body-awareness and decreased risk of injury.
Project ACL is a 10-week program designed to:
- Evaluate and educate young athletes on their personal risk for injury
- Establish cognitive and proprioceptive movement awareness
- Decrease risk for athletic injury by strengthening and conditioning the musculoskeletal system
- Encourage a positive mindset, set realistic goals, and be part of a team of caring and supportive female athletes
How You Can Help
By spreading the word to your coaches and teams, you can help us recruit female soccer athletes between the ages of 14 and 25 for our data collection in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Given the consequences of ACL injury, it is important to conduct this research.
In order to conduct the research, we need funding.
This is where you come in.
Love the idea?
Want to empower female athletes?
Have a healthy appreciation for knees?
Click here to support our research.
