BOSTON -- Doctors say 38,000 high school athletes tear their anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, every year. Doctors say it's happening to more girls than boys. NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Thursday on why girls are at greater risk and how to prevent injury.

Corey Moynihan is only 14, but she already bears surgical scars to repair a torn ACL, a ligament in her knee.

“My knee just went to the side and I fell down on it and it just snapped. It hurt so bad,” said Moynihan.

Moynihan was injured playing soccer. She's among a growing number of girls sidelined because of ACL injuries.

“Girls are actually at a risk of five to eight times that of boys in playing sports and tearing their ACL,” said Dr. Martha Murray, an orthopedic surgeon for Children’s Hospital Boston.

Murray is involved in the treatment and prevention of ACL injuries. She said wider hips and sometimes knocked knees make girls more prone to knee injuries. Twisting the wrong way can cause the ligament to pop. But Dr. Murray said there is something girls can do to reduce their risk.

“They can actually prevent ACL injuries by learning how to jump and land correctly, with specific techniques, landing hips over knees over feet, rather than landing one legged,” she said.

Murray said it's important to get young athletes involved in programs that focus on strength training, conditioning and flexibility.

Thru physical therapy at Jumpstart in Natick, Mass., Monynihan is being trained how to strengthen her muscles. She doesn't expect to be sitting on the sidelines much longer.

“I'm dying to go exercise and stuff. Soccer is my life,” she said.