Department of Exercise and Sport Science

Lindsay Distefano Receives Impact Award

Lindsay Distefano is one of the most recent recipients of the Impact Award sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School's Graduate Education Advancement Board.  The Impact Awards recognize graduate students whose research provides special benefits to the citizens of North Carolina.  A brief description of this research is provided below. 

ACL Injury Prevention Program for Youth Soccer Players 

Youth sports injuries, such as injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), are common and can impact future physical activity, ultimately influencing obesity rates and overall public health. These injuries often occur while an athlete lands or changes direction, so injury prevention focuses on modifying these movements.

Doctoral student Lindsay DiStefano worked with youth soccer players in Chapel Hill to test an ACL injury prevention program. She evaluated the players using a movement analysis tool. Her prevention program, which modified movements associated with injury, showed that all players decreased risky movements, with the high school age group improving more than the pre-high school group. Both sexes responded similarly.

Soccer is one of the most common youth sports in the state, and ACL injuries cost the state health care system more than 11 million dollars annually. These injuries are also associated with short- and long-term disability, including decreased sports participation and osteoarthritis onset within 15 years. Lindsay's research may impact the state by leading to development of effective exercise programs that can be easily implemented, and may be used to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injury.