This guide is to show you some things you can perform at home that can help with

improving your movement patterns, in the hopes of preventing injuries down the line.

Please keep in mind that these exercises take time to develop the right technique, and it
will not happen overnight. So, you will need to practice
walking/running/squatting/jumping/landing straight every chance you get.

The point is to stop, reflect, and to really think about how to move better by making a
few adjustments. It might seem like a lot to think about, but the more you practice, the
better you will get at noticing the little things.

One main injury athletes suffer from is an ACL injury. You probably have heard of
someone suffering from an ACL injury, but may not know what it is, exactly.

ACL stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

Anterior = front
Cruciate = cross-shaped
Ligament = connective tissue that connects two bones together

The ACL connects the bottom part of the femur (thigh bone) to one of the two larger
bones in your leg, below your knee (tibia).
The ACL helps in stabilizing your knee when you walk, run, jump, or do anything. The
other ligaments, such as the MCL (medial collateral ligament), PCL (posterior cruciate
ligament), and LCL (lateral collateral ligament) help with stabilizing the knee joint as
well.

The MCL and LCL are not diagonal, or in the shape of a cross, hence the “collateral.”

The meniscus acts as a cushion between the femur and tibia, helping to reduce or
lessen the impact by reducing friction. It is a piece of cartilage.

All of these need to work together in order to keep your knee stable when you walk.
When you start to do more, such as play sports or other activities, you need stronger
muscles to keep the muscles around the knee even more stable.

Video showing anatomical movement of injury

Sports Medicine
Notice the alignment and how the angles are compared to the hips, knees, and ankle in
the picture on the left, compared to the one on the right.

The woman in the picture on the left is working to keep her knees straight in line with
everything else in her lower body. Those muscles in her thigh, hips, and butt are helping
with this.

Learning how to move and control your body takes time and lots of practice.
This is how you should be squatting! No one may have told you how to squat properly
before, but it is very important, even if you don’t do sports.

Long-term, or chronic, injury can occur if you don’t move the correct way.

Look at how the pressure is placed on the heels. This allows for the muscles in the butt
to work harder (gluteal muscle group, and hamstrings), as opposed to the muscles of
the front part of the leg doing all the work (quadriceps).

This helps to disperse the weight between both the front and back.

Having equal strength for the quads and the gluteals/hamstrings is important so one
side isn’t pulling on the other too much, and this will help to prevent injuries.
Notice the straight line from the person’s knees, hips, and ankles.

Valgus is when the knees come in together (knock knees).

Varus is when the knees come out (bow leggedness).

Practicing these movements and training your mind to be aware about what you’re
doing will take time. It’s important to keep practicing.
The idea is to practice so often that your body will think that it’s second nature.
You won’t have to think about your technique as much during your games and matches,
so you can focus on helping your team to win instead.
Another example of how you shouldn’t be squatting. Or, in this case, landing after a
jump. Hopefully, you’re starting to realize the knee angles and improper alignment from
the pictures - and you’ll start to notice how other people move as well.

Exercises to Help Strengthen the Muscles of the Hip, Thigh, Buttocks,

and Hamstrings

Safety First!

Perform each exercise to the best of your ability, taking your time.

Do not rush through the exercises.

Focus on performing each exercise with care and the mindset in practicing proper form.

Try to do them in front of a mirror, so you can check your alignment and posture.

Remember, a reason for doing these exercises (and exercising in general) is to avoid
long-term injuries. The goal is to stay as healthy as you can, for as long as you can.

For some people, it can take weeks, months, or even years to really get the idea of how
to move better. Keep practicing.