How to Prevent ACL Injuries: Train Your Brain

File under “What you don’t know can hurt you.”
Now comes news from researchers at the University of Michigan that training your brain may be just as effective as training your muscles
in preventing ACL knee injuries. The university’s news service reports that researchers at the school were surprised to learn that when they had subjects perform one-legged squats to fatigue, then tested the
reactions to various jumping and movement commands, both legs—not just the fatigued leg—showed equally dangerous and
potentially injurious responses. Wait there’s more: When the researchers tested the single leg landings
of 13 men and 13 women after working the legs to fatigue, they found that both men and women showed
significant changes in lower limb mechanics during unanticipated single
leg landings. The findings that training the brain to
respond to unexpected stimuli, and sharpening anticipatory
skills may be more helpful than rote training exercises.
Read more from the University of Michigan.