* Among athletes with a history of ACL injury who used the program, none experienced noncontact ACL injuries, compared to four injuries among other players with a similar history.
* In the second half of the season, athletes using the PEP program reported no ACL injuries, while other athletes experienced five injuries.

While many teams may conduct various warm up and stretching exercises, the PEP program focuses on improving biomechanical techniques in jumping, stopping and turning to reduce ACL injuries.


"PEP was developed specifically to prevent serious knee injuries and their consequences," said Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, director of the research foundation. "We recommend that teams use it as an alternative warm-up before training sessions. Putting PEP widely into practice, we hope, will continue to show reduced risk of ACL injury among soccer players."

The study was made possible by additional support from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, International Federation of Football Associations, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Santa Monica Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Research Foundation.

For more information about CDC's injury prevention efforts, please link to www.cdc.gov/injury. For a copy of this study, please visit http://ajs.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/36/8/1476. To obtain a copy of the PEP program, go to http://www.aclprevent.com/pepprogram.htm

SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

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