Athletes who lack body awareness may be more susceptible to ACL injuries.
In a new study in the “Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy”, researchers performed MRI scans on the brains of 62 athletes. Three of these athletes went on to suffer an ACL injury during the competitive season. Prior to the season, these three athletes had displayed inferior activation in the motor cortex and additional areas of the brain responsible for body awareness.
Conclusions
Improving body awareness through a proper strength training program may be key for preventing ACL injuries.
References
Diekfuss, J. A., Grooms, D. R., Nissen, K. S., Schneider, D. K., Foss, K. D. B., Thomas, S., … & Ellis, J. D. (2019). Alterations in knee sensorimotor brain functional connectivity contributes to ACL injury in male high-school football players: a prospective neuroimaging analysis. Brazilian journal of physical therapy.