Can Overpronation Increase ACL Injury Risk in Female Athletes?
Years ago, a 12-year-old athlete came and did an evaluation with us. The first thing we noticed wasn't her speed or her strength, it was her feet. Standing perfectly still, her arches rolled inward, her knees drifted toward each other, and in the assessment questionnaire, she mentioned a nagging ache on the inside of her knees. Nothing was "wrong" yet. She wasn't injured. But the pattern was already there, printed into how she stood before she ever took a step. She never ended up training with us and then last year, she tore her ACL. We don't share that to claim we predicted it. We share it because that collapse-and-cave pattern is one of the most overlooked, and most fixable, injury risks in youth to pro sports, especially for female athletes. So let's answer the question directly: yes, overpronation can raise ACL injury risk. Here's why, and here's what we do about it. What overpronation actually does up the chain Overpronation is when the foot roll...