Toronto Women's Hockey Has Become Very Popular - Here are Some Tips For Players Who Want To Avoid A Knee Ligament Injury

Toronto women’s hockey has grown in popularity over the last decade. With the rise of such stars as Tessa Bonhomme and Cassie Campbell, women across the province have taken to the ice to show that they have just as much spirit and drive as their male counterparts. With back-to-back gold medals at the Olympics, women’s hockey has risen to new heights, and with the rise of Toronto women’s hockey, so too have the incidences of knee ligament injury.

Although a knee ligament injury is a common injury for athletes in all kinds of sports, it's increasingly common for Toronto women’s hockey players. But just what is a knee ligament injury? A knee ligament injury is a tear of ligaments in your knee, the ones that connect your thighbone to your lower leg bones, and that are vital to movement.  

There are several different ligaments that can be torn in a knee ligament injury: the posterior cruciate ligament, the anterior cruciate ligament, the lateral collateral ligament, and the medial collateral ligament. It is possible to injure one or more of these ligaments at the same time, and thus, it's incredibly important to try and avoid injuries of this kind.

A knee ligament injury is considered a ‘sprain,’ and is graded on a scale of 1 to 3. A grade 1 sprain is the least severe, when a ligament is stretched slightly, but not torn.  A grade 2 sprain is when the ligament is stretched to the point that it becomes loose (often called a partial tear). The grade 3 sprain, which is the most severe, is when the ligament is completely torn, thus rendering the knee unstable.

Multiple knee ligament injuries can have devastating long-term effects, impacting blood flow to the leg, impacting the nerves, and in rare cases even leading to amputation. Since a knee ligament injury is so common, even when playing Toronto women’s hockey, avoiding one is crucial - as is seeking proper treatment from a sports injury clinic if you have suffered a knee ligament injury.

So ladies, how can you avoid a knee ligament injury when playing Toronto women’s hockey? Here are a few tips:

-          Consistent and appropriate training and conditioning year round, not just during hockey season, will keep your knee in good shape.

-          Pivoting, crouching and bending at the knee helps to keep your ligaments in use and helps to reduce stress on them.

-          Strengthening your hamstring and quadriceps muscles will work to strengthen the entire leg, the knee included.

-          Developing an exercise routine that works to increase balance and strength to your core muscles helps keep your knees flexible and your ligaments stable.

Treating a knee ligament injury can be a pain, so avoiding one is a good idea. For more information about how to avoid a knee ligament injury while playing Toronto women’s hockey (or any sport), contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine by calling 416 800 0800, or visit www.aesm.ca.