Published: Feb. 4, 2016
The leader of Sparrow Sports Medicine addressed hundreds of prep female athletes and their coaches at a major conference in Lansing about how to address the sharp rise in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries on girls.
As women have taken a greater role in high-risk prep sports, they have become much more prone to ACL knee injuries. Women are four to six times more likely than men to experience an ACL injury, which can be devastating to athletes.
Sparrow Sports Medicine Medical Director Michael Shingles, D.O., discuss ACL injury prevention and focused on agility, landing techniques, core strength and flexibility at the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Women in Sports Leadership Conference.
Sparrow is the official health system of the MHSAA as experts from both organizations team up to transform care of student-athletes.
“Most ACL injuries happen during non-contact athletics like running or jumping with a sudden change or direction,” said Dr. Shingles. “We know that ACL prevention programs can greatly reduce injury rates, sometimes by as much as 50 percent.”
In addition to his work at Sparrow, Dr. Shingles serves as a Team Orthopedic Surgeon for MSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. He is also the team Physician for both East Lansing High School and the Lansing Lugnuts.
Sparrow provides speakers at MHSAA functions and events throughout the state, offering guidance on health issues for student-athletes. Sparrow is prominently featured in promotions at the state high school basketball playoffs at the Breslin Center as well as the state high school football playoffs at Ford Field in Detroit.
Sparrow also lends its expertise through the MHSAA website, including an “Ask the Expert” feature that connects users with sports health-related questions directly to Sparrow Caregivers.
Choose Wisely. Choose Sparrow.