The Terror of ACL Tears
If you walk into any high school at any time of year, you will most likely see several students on crutches and or wearing knee braces. Most often these injuries are a result of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, better known as ACL. This injury is very common and current research reports it “has steadily increased among 6- to 18-year-olds in the United States, rising more than 2 percent a year over the last two decades” (Reinberg). ACL dramatic rise among high school students injuries in the past twenty years is alarming, which should motivate parents, coaches, schools, and doctors need to re-examine adolescent athletic programs.
This injury, which has grown significantly in the past twenty years, may occur in any
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These numbers should cause great concern among students, parents, coaches and doctors. While the injuries are noteworthy among both genders, the rate for girls is higher. The American Academy of Pediatricians explains, their study claiming “males had an overall increase of 2.2 percent per year and experienced peak rates of ACL tears at age 17. Females, meanwhile, saw an increase of 2.5 percent per year and experienced most ACL tears at age 16” (American Academy of Pediatricians). These numbers are frightening, especially for female athletes whose increased ACL tears over the past twenty years has increased in all age groups; males’ injuries, on the other hand, have only increased in the 15-16 year old group (American Academy of Pediatricians). Females not only have a greater risk of initial injury but also a greater risk of reinjury. Jeffrey Spang, MD, associate professor of orthopaedics at the UNC School of Medicine, explains “females have both a higher rate of re-tear and a higher rate of injury to the other knee,” Spang said. “More than 10 percent of adolescent females who undergo an ACL reconstruction will …show more content…
Marc A. Tompkins, MD, an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Minnesota, hopes the research done on ACL injuries "will help foster discussion both about how changes in pediatric athletic participation over the past 20 years may be impacting injury rates and how we can best develop youth injury prevention programs and athletic participation guidelines" (American Academy of Pediatricians) . One way to do this, according to Tompkins, is to create more preventative programs aimed at decreasing injuries. Stephen Swirsky, an orthopedic surgeon at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, and his team have developed an injury prevention program to reduce ACL injuries. He states one of the best ways to reduce injuries is to “teach good running techniques, which will improve function and agility” (Jayanthi, et al). This program teaches safe jumping, landing, warm-ups, hamstring strengthening, balance, stretching, and plyometrics. Additionally, the program emphasizes the importance of flexibility and stretching as “the more flexible they are, the less likely they are to have an injury.”(Reinberg). These programs and techniques have shown decreases in ACL injuries. Another effective way to do this is by changing the ways teams address warming up. According to Sprang, there are specific warm up skills teams could and should use. He specifically supports the FIFA 11+ program
The incidence and prevalence rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes continues to increase over time (Prodromos, Han, Rogowski, Joyce, & Shi, 2007). With the growing rate in the amount of young women participating in sports, data has shown that the rate of ACL injury increases linearly with this participation ("The Relationship Between Static Posture and ACL Injury in Female Athletes," 1996). This epidemic of ACL injuries in female athletes, young or old, continues to be problematic in the athletic world. This problem not only affects the athlete themselves, but also the coaches and the sports medicine community.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most important of your four major knee ligaments. The function of the ACL is to provide stability to the knee and minimize stress across the knee joint. It restrains excessive forward movement of the lower leg bone (the tibia) in relation to the thigh bone (the femur). It also limits rotational movements of the knee. “Greater external knee valgus and internal rotation moments have been shown to increase loading on the ACL in vitro and are thought to be associated with the increased risk of noncontact ACL injury” (Effects 2011). A tear to the anterior cruciate ligament results from overstretching of this ligament within the knee. It’s usually due to a sudden stop and twisting motion of the knee, or a “...
Tearing the ACL is now considered an epidemic in the United States over 100,000 recorded incidences are reported each year (Moeller). While such a finding may be good for orthopedic doctors and surgeons, this is not good for millions of athletes’ competing these days in high intensity sports. This is especially a problem for female athletes who are two to four times more likely to tear their ACL than men (Moeller). This is one of the biggest mysteries about ACL tears is the difference between the number of injuries seen in women and men. Women tend to tear there ACL far more frequently then men. While not everyone agrees that gender itself is the source of the problem, evidence is growing that females are learning too late that participating in sports can also become the first step to ruining an active lifestyle.
Meniscal tears are a common sports injury, and can vary widely in severity and pain. Meniscal tears are very common among athletes playing contact sports, such as Football, Rugby, and Soccer or any sport that involves twisting of the knee. Meniscal tears are more common among men than woman. Meniscal injuries can occur at any age, but factors differ with age. In older people tears are degenerative and usually occur doing daily activities. In younger people the majority of meniscal tears occur primarily by cutting or twisting movements, hyperflexion, or
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) attaches the femur, which is the thighbone, and the tibia, which is the shin, together (northstar). A torn ACL is one of the most excruciating experiences in an athlete’s life. It is the first thing that comes to mind when they hurt their knee on the field; for many it is their greatest fear. A torn ACL can sometimes mean the end of an athlete’s career. It can mean losing the chance to get that scholarship for young athletes, and it can also mean the end of those million dollar paychecks for those who have gone professional. A torn ACL can result in numerous surgeries, months of vigorous exercise and rehabilitation, and a sufficient amount of pain. It requires complete patience, for pushing too hard can result in further, more painful injury. Even after all that, an athlete is not guaranteed he or she will ever be able to play sports again.
Children who are active recklessly engage in activities where injuries can occur. Nobody can predict when or how seriously anybody will get injured during an activity, however, the risks of children playing tackle football is prevalent where the dangers are imminent. The game of tackle football on a youth level is dangerous for children since they are developing physically and mentally. According to an article from The Atlantic, “America’s most dangerous football is in the peewee leagues, not the National Football League” (Barra, 2013). According to a journal article, “sports injuries account for approximately 23% of pediatric emergency department injury related visits” (Podberesky, Unsell & Anton, 2009). “Of these sports injury-related
Athletic Trainers play a crucial part in today’s professional sports. They also help on lower levels of sports in high school, and college level teams. The job of an athletic trainer is simple yet very important, they are charged with treating, and preventing injuries. A trainer does this by developing therapies to reduce pain, and improve mobility (“Athletic Trainer Salaries”). They have to stand for long periods of time, work well with athletes of different sizes, move or carry equipment around, good mobility and communication skills to give instructions (“Athletic Trainer, Healthcare Program”). These trainers serve as a crucial part of an athlete getting back into their sport. Athletic trainers usually work under the direction of a physician, so they are like the Doctor’s healing hands in action.
A 16 year old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but also several of her teammates have torn the same ligament as well during the soccer season. Lephart (2002) found that women involved in physical activity are more susceptible to acquire the ACL injuries than men who are involved in the same physical activity (as cited in Ogden, 2002). According to “ACL Injury Prevention” (2004), the numbers on female ACL ruptures have been increased for the past ten year. Over 1.4 million women have been suffered from the ACL rupture which is twice the rate of the previous decade. Therefore, female ACL injuries are now a growing problem in the nation (Anonymous, 2004). Back in 1950s and 1960s, female participation in sports was rare; therefore, the rate of injuries was very low. However, according to “ACL Injuries and Female Athletes” (n.d), as Title IX was implemented in 1972, female participation in numerous sports has dramatically increased. Moreover, the rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL also has dramatically increased (Anonymous, n.d). In terms of comparing the rate of acquiring ACL injuries between two genders, females have higher rate than males do. According to the “Physical Therapy Corner” (2007), “women suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries more often than men, nearly 4 times as often in basketball, 3 times as often in gymnastics, and nearly 2 and a half times as often in soccer” (Knee Injuries section, para.1). There are various risk factors that contribute to the high rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL for female athletes. External factors such as improper sh...
High school football players sustain a major proportion of season injuries. A major part of these regions are due to ligament sprains, targeted stretching exercises may be beneficial. The most injured players were those with the position of running back and linebackers. In the 2005-2006 season there were more than half a million injuries nationally of high school football players. This data was collected from over 100 high school football teams.
The problems and injuries that come with playing football have been obvious since the beginning, and to this day are still being discovered and researched in hopes of finding solutions so that the sport is not so dangerous. Malcolm Gla...
Knee pain could be caused due to various reasons like sitting in an uncomfortable position for a long time, high impact exercises like running on concrete roads, excessive pressure on knees due to overweight, weakness of the hamstrings and arthritis or rheumatic pain. Home remedies could definitely help in case of knee pain.
“More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports or participating in recreational activities” (Sports Injury Statistics). Athletic injuries are, unfortunately, very common among teens, college athletes, and professional athletes. Most recreational, travel, or high school teams do not have a trained medical professional present at all of the games, and this can be costly if an injury were to occur. Most college sports teams have a trained medical professional on staff, however, some schools are not fortunate enough to be able to afford to have a medical professional at every game. Professional teams are almost always required to have a trained medical professional on staff, but it is important to make sure
Whether it was soccer, wrestling, or American football, sports and injury have come hand in hand throughout my sporting career. In high school, wanting to know what ligaments, bones, and muscles were being treated, I joined the student medical training program at my high school, and quickly got involved as an athletic trainer. As a student athletic trainer, I had the opportunity to assist in injury rehabilitation routines such as ice/heat contrast therapy and band exercises, conduct preventative taping for athletes, and act as a first-aider at sporting events.
To be able to both prevent injuries effective treatment advice the practitioner must understand the causes (Bahr, R. 2012). Looking for hazards before starting a physical activity is critical in preventing an injury during an activity. For example, while playing basketball it is important to have the right shoes on and ensuring the floor is dry and not slippery. This will prevent any falls while running up and down the basketball court. Running with the right shoes will prevent any ankle sprains or calf muscle sprains that may occur during running. Playing football you may encounter the same injuries as playing basketball and running or even worse if playing full contact football. The most common sports injury is strains and sprains that occurred during sports activity. Stretching and warming up the body is a good activity to prevent strains and sprains this is commonly done before doing any physical
However, sports have many negative effects on the physical health of youth. The most common example is injuries. Hundreds of thousands of high school athletes get injured each year, with injuries ranging in severity from a small wound to broken bones, concussion, and torn ligaments. Without proper training and prevention, injuries are a constant risk which athletes may be subjected to at any time. As sports become increasingly prevalent in modern society, the level of difficulty and commitment towards sports increases as well. From a young age, children are beginning to specialize in sports and practice hours each week to achieve perfection. However, this can cause burnout and overuse injuries later on. Recent research by the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine has revealed that literature stating that fifty percent of injuries are overuse injuries underestimates the negative side effects of such injuries. The increased pressure to excel at sports has also led to the use of stero...