All-Star Acl Tears :(

[Keep_Believing]

Injury is very common in gymnastics. Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson, Regining World Champion Aliya Mustafina, and I could go have both torn the ACL. I will note that Shawn tore hers walking. Aliya tore her ACL landing a valult.

That is so sad! With all the medical/moderen advances you would think they would have ways to try and prevent this kind of injury.

 

[aggie1983]

not cheer related, but my oldest loved basketball the way my younger daughter loves cheer. Her junior year she sprained her ankle in the third week of region play, hard, but hey, she still has next year. Her senior year, first week of region play she is going after a breakaway and just passes the girl and starts to get in front of her when her foot plants, but her body keeps going- tore her acl, mcl and meniscus. It was 5 games before I could sit through a game without having to leave in tears as I watched my baby cheer her teammates on from the bench her senior year. (But we glitzed up her crutches for homecoming court. She was voted Homecoming Queen.)

 

[kccheerlinds]

Almost did this year. SO glad I didn't! I landed wrong when I was tumbling on the dead mat for school cheer when I don't usually tumble on anything but spring floor and it was so painful. The doctor thought it was something with my ACL but after the MRI we found it was something to do with my patella? I don't know what he said but I'm out for awhile. But luckily not as long as it would be for an ACL tear! Needless to say I am never ever tumbling on anything except a spring floor ever again...

 

[kickdblcj]

Like many people have said before strengthening is really important. You should condition your knees along with your body after every practice. Your joints need to be strong so that if you do land wrong they will be able to take the force and you wont tear something. One of my favorite exercises is when you stand in a lib position and bend down and touch the ground. Your standing leg should have a slight bend in it. You bend down and then come all the way back up, go right/center/left, always returning to the original lib position before going down again. Repeat the same process on your other leg. I usually do 10 sets on each leg and may take you 15 minutes, I do them every other night.

 

[yojaehs]

Two things I preach everyday to ALL of my athletes, if you remember these TWO things it will HELP (not guarantee) knee and ankle safety.
#1 - Always land with legs together #2 - NEVER land with your legs locked.
Again, this is no guarantee however its a great practice!!!

 

[Alex]

i did the same thing, i tore my ACL and meniscus buy landing my full with one leg bent and the other straight and it hyperextended, the worst part is, it was a week before worlds. remember don't try to jump back in too fast, you don't want a re-tear! i hope you and your team mate have great recoveries!

re-tearing must be the worst thing ever! i thought that was what happened to me, but it ended up being a messedup surgery and then i hurt my knee worse. Ive heard that if i would have rehabbed better (i killled myself as it was) than it wouldnt be as bad, so as hard as you think it is, try harder!!!