Latest Trends in Neuromuscular Training to Prevent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Literature Review

PURPOSE: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are the most common in sports and have doubled in the past 20 years. This study aimed to analyze the latest trends and changes in training programs for ACL injury prevention.METHODS: In this study, literature was searched using academic search sites, such as ‘PubMed’, ‘Google Scholar’, and ‘Wiley Online Library’. The literature published between 2015 and 2021 was used.RESULTS: Eleven papers were selected based on the literature selection criteria. Five warm-up exercise papers and six ACL injury prevention training program papers emphasized neuromuscular training.CONCLUSIONS: The ACL injury prevention program can be applied in warm-up exercises and training programs. It consists of an exercise form that includes multidimensional components such as plyometrics, muscle strength, balance, and agility. The key to the ACL injury prevention program is to reflect multidimensional components in neuromuscular training and to obtain a significant effect, and it is recommended to participate in regular training for 12-18 sessions and at least 6 months. In addition, it is suggested to utilize the ACL injury prevention program presented in this study until an individual study for ACL injury prevention by sports type is conducted.