WASHINGTON D.C. (WUSA9) -- Cassandra Prenger is one of many
college athletes who has dealt with a sports related injury.
During her freshman year of college basketball, she tore her ACL
in her left knee. "My senior year of high school we had 6 ACL
tears in one year. For, like, 15 or 16 girls," Prenger says.
While such injuries are commonplace, what most athletes don't
realize? These injuries are actually preventable. Timothy E.
Hewett, Ph.D., is the Director of Research at the Ohio State
Wexner Medical Center. He was spotlighted by the NBA because he
suggested two simple tests that can help evaluate whether
someone is prone to ACL injuries: - First, jump off a box about
a foot high with your feet shoulder width apart and go into a
squat position. Make sure to pay close attention to the position
of your knees. - Also, you can put an "X" on the floor with tape
and hop through the 4 quadrants. If you consistently use one
foot more than the other, it's possible you could be at risk for
a sports related injury. Ba