Higher Risk Of Stroke

What did they find? Among these apparently healthy older adults, those who scored lower on verbal and memory tests had more strokes than those who had better memory and verbal fluency on testing. In fact, adults who scored in the bottom 20% on the memory test had a nine times greater risk of stroke compared to the highest scorers. The higher stroke risk persisted even after researchers controlled for factors such as educational level, race and sex.

A person can have build-up of plaque in their arteries for years before a portion of it breaks off and blocks blood flow, leading to a stroke. This plaque build-up can cause subtle cognitive and memory problems for months or years before a stroke finally occurs. Thus, memory problems may be a sign of plaque build-up in the arteries, or atherosclerosis – a forerunner to stroke.

What Does This Mean?

Memory problems, especially in people over the age of 50, should be taken seriously, especially if they occur in people at high risk of stroke because of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol problems or a strong family history. Once a stroke happens, it’s difficult to recover any function that’s lost. Memory and cognitive problems may be the only warning signs – and a clear signal that it’s time to see a doctor before a stroke strikes.

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Women and ACL Tears

How to Prevent ACL Injuries

Some fitness centers offer special training sessions to reduce the risk of ACL tears in women. These sessions combine exercises to strengthen the hamstring and quadriceps muscles with flexibility and balance exercises to improve the way the muscles respond to sudden movements.

Some coaches use plyometric jumping exercises to build strength and muscle control. This type of training offers an opportunity to master landing with the knees flexed instead of straight and rigid, as many women athletes do. This puts less stress on the ACL.

It’s best to do ACL conditioning exercises, at least in the beginning, under the watchful eye of a physical therapist or athletic trainer, particularly if you’ve had an ACL tear in the past.

Doing an adequate warm-up and stretching to increase flexibility further reduces the risk of ACL tears. Women athletes should avoid wearing shoes with cleats since they increase the risk of injury.

ACL Tears in Women: The Bottom Line?

ACL injuries are more common in women than in men, but an ACL conditioning program can help reduce the risk of a painful ACL injury – and keep you out on the field and in the game.

If you’re female and you’re athletic, you’re at higher risk for ACL tears. The ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is one of four strong, fibrous bands that stabilize the knee and minimize stress to the knee joint. The ACL has the important task of keeping the lower leg from slipping too far forward during leg movements. Unfortunately, the ACL ligament is also one of the most vulnerable ligaments to injury, especially in women.

ACL injuries are up to eight times more common in women athletes than in men. No one is sure why ACL tears in women are more frequent than in males. The risk of ACL injuries is especially high among female soccer players, because they’re constantly changing directions and doing twisting movements, which stresses the ligaments in the knee.