An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is one of the most devastating injuries any athlete could endure. Each year famous NFL players and high school girls are struck down, with contract extensions and scholarships on the line. The value could be anywhere from $100,000 for a scholarship to several million for a professional sport. And that is not including the cost of the surgery and subsequent rehab. But why? Why is it becoming so common?
Historically, the focus has been placed on the need for better fitness training for the athletes. The idea is that by having stronger muscles and by better being able to utilize them, the athlete’s chances of a knee injury will go down. And you know what, this is true. However, it isn’t the whole problem, which any doctor thoroughly trained in Applied Kinesiology will be able to demonstrate.
The answer lies in the ability of the nervous system to coordinate and control the muscular system and absorb force. A doctor utilizing Applied Kinesiology muscle testing is quickly able to find imbalances in the way the hip and knee muscles are firing and correct them. Then and only then will exercise and injury prevention exercises work to their optimum. Without this necessary first step, the real crux of the problem has been ignored.
Being a Chiropractor and Applied Kinesiologist in Forest Lake, MN I run across young boys and girls striving for athletic success. When they come in my office, the initial examination almost always reveals major imbalances in the coordination of the hip and knee muscles. Oddly enough this lack of coordination and control can be shown to have nothing to do with exercise, but instead stems from lack of proper nutrients, toxin overload, and internal organ imbalances. And in the last 5 years it has only gotten worse.
Without the awareness of how important good nutrition and getting rid of toxins is, these kids are sitting ducks. Statistics show that 1 out of every 100 female high school athletes will suffer a serious knee injury. This is 8 times higher than it is for males. And this correlates with what I see in my office. A far higher percentage of females have a lack of control of their hip muscles. The reasons for this are too much to explain in this article, but stem from the differences in reproductive systems and their interaction with environmental toxins, especially xenoestrogens. Females are suffering the consequences of the over 86,000 chemicals in the United States.
If you or a loved one is engaging in any type of competitive sport, a visit to an Applied Kinesiologist could potentially save thousands if not millions of dollars, let alone the emotional trauma of sitting out an entire season or more. Be prepared to be shocked and amazed on your first visit. If you are like most people you will leave shaking your head and wondering why you haven’t heard of Applied Kinesiology a long time ago.
-HD