ACL injury prevention programs (ACL-IPP) are exercise programs recommended by clinical practice guidelines that have been shown to reduce the risk of an ACL injury. However, implementation of these programs is low, which reduces the real-world effectiveness of these programs. This project will assess a knowledge translation intervention with youth soccer programs for implementation of ACL-IPPs utilizing the Knowledge-to-Action Framework. The main educational intervention will be a knowledge translation (KT) intervention between the researchers, and coaches/players of youth soccer programs within the state of Michigan. Specifics of the knowledge translation intervention will or may include focus groups, surveys, in-person training, video handouts, and paper handouts. This will be compared to coaches/teams that are offered a handout that describes an evidence-based ACL-IPP.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries of the knee are common in youth soccer players, and show an even higher prevalence in female soccer players. Clinical practice guidelines recommend ACL injury prevention programs (ACL-IPP) to reduce injury risk, yet implementation in amateur youth soccer is low, reducing actual real-world effectiveness. This trial is a pragmatic effectiveness trial for ACL injury prevention for amateur youth soccer players, using a knowledge translation intervention with the Knowledge-to-Action Framework.