Welcome!
Created in 2020 in connection with a Girl Scout Gold Award Project, this site serves as a resource center for youth sports knee injury education and prevention. It is imperative that student athletes and their parents maintain an understanding of knee injury risk in youth sports, so they may take the necessary actions to reduce injury risk and maximize the student athletes potential.
Knee Injury Education & Prevention
Isabel Lesjak's Girl Scout Gold Award Project
Overview
Youth athletes are more exposed to the high risk of knee injuries, specifically the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). ACL injuries are most commonly seen in sports such as soccer, football, basketball, and lacrosse and show that girls are six times more likely to tear it compared to boys. Studies have shown that there has been a tremendous rise with this particular injury due to repetitive knee stress, lack of body coordination to achieve smooth efficient movements, and inadequate form when cutting or jumping. Some have been led to believe that strengthening the legs is simply the answer. Although strong quadriceps and hamstring muscles may play a role in injury prevention, this alone will not be sufficient. When it comes to the ACL, it is more important to learn the correct body positioning techniques for each sport. My goal is to educate families and youth soccer players about the high risk of knee and ACL injuries among student-athletes and offer prevention techniques by myself and a panel of experts.
The Reason I Selected my Issue
About two years ago, I suffered an ACL tear and underwent ACL surgery to repair it.
I have friends who wished they had known more about prevention techniques before it also happened to them.
I want to be able to help others so they don't have to go through the same thing that I did.
I love playing for Vienna Youth Soccer and have a passion for sports.
Families may not know that knee injuries are a reoccurring issue hence the fact that no one is taking the initiative to solve the problem. I believe there isn't enough awareness about prevention techniques/options and therefore, parents are completely out of touch until it happens to their child which was the exact position I was in. Teens are very busy whether it comes to work, school, sports, or thier social life. It can be difficult to balance time as a teenager but speaking from experience, I can say this should be near the top of ones list to practice, especially for high impact athletes.
My Gold Award's Global Linkage is
Knee and ACL injuries happen all over the world to even a lot of famous athletes you may know. This is a worldwide issue that can be preventable with only some effort and willingness.
