Sports Related Knee Injuries
Sports have been around for a very long time. The Maya used to play a game with a rubber ball similar to basketball. The nobility in the medieval era played a primitive form of tennis. Most civilizations have had a sport of some kind. Sports are a way for us to get exercise and expend energy. However, in modern society, sports have become much more competitive and more popular. There are now numerous professional sports leagues and every year, millions of people go to see professional sporting events. Nowadays in football, as a man on the defensive line, your goal is to try and smash the quarterback, whereas 30 years ago, the goal was to just to win the game. This change in mindset, to be more aggressive and more intimidating, has happened in many sports such as basketball, hockey and soccer. This is in part due to the advancement of equipment technology. With more protection you can push yourself harder and longer, but many people push too much. Because of this new, harder and more intense way of playing, the rate of injuries has gone up. And by far, the most effected limb has been the knee.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most commonly injured ligament of the knee. The ligament is most commonly injured during an athletic activity. Due to the fact that sports are an increasingly important part of day to day life in the United States, the number of ACL injuries has steadily increased over the past few decades. Many sports have been associated with ACL tears. Those sports requiring the foot to be planted and the body to change direction rapidly (such as basketball) carry a high incidence of injury. Football, of course, is the most common source of an ACL tear. Football combines the acti...
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Knee injuries are an epidemic. They are present now more than ever. Players and athletes are pushing themselves harder and longer and are suffering the consequences. Maybe we need to slow down and return to the principals of the old games. We should play games for fun and to try and injure the other players. We need to change the way we think about playing sports.
Bibliography:
Bibliography
1. Anatomy of the Knee. 9/26/96. Available:
http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/pat_educ/kneeanat.htm
2. Questions & Answers. 2000. Available:
http://www.intelli.com/vhosts/aossm-isite/html/main.cgi?sub=134&cooked=56626-@JOXP-IT&prof=&origsite=http://www.intelli.com/vhosts/aossm-isite&origcount=&origsub=134&origloc=main.cgi&sub=134
3. Knee Injuries and Disorders. 10/20/00. Available:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kneeinjuriesanddisorders.html
Injuries to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) are one of the most frequent and devastating knee injuries that occur during sporting activities, accounting for one fifth of all sport related knee injuries ¹ ². Injury estimates have been reported in current literature to be between 1.5% - 1.7% per year within a healthy athletic population ³ ⁴. However, incidence rates for ACL injury prove difficult to access as not all individuals with ACL injuries seek medical attention ⁵. Current trends show a direct correlation between the rising incidence of ACL injury and increased sporting participation ⁶. In spite of increasing incidence rates, ACL injuries remain fairly uncommonly in relation to the amount of individuals participating in sporting activities ⁷ ⁸. Nevertheless, they still prove to be a frequent source of disability for those individuals affected ⁷ ⁸. Individuals affected with ACL injury may suffer from a number of adverse effects including dynamic knee instability, altered movement patterns, reduced functional performance and debilitating pain ⁷⁻¹⁰.
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.
In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four major ligaments within the knee. The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, injured by an estimated 200,000 patients each year. Of the 200,000 annual ACL injuries, surgery is performed in approximately 100,000 cases. There are many types of reconstructive surgery on the ACL. However, there is an alternative to surgery in the form of physical therapy.
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.
Kids are deciding by ages 9-10 they want to excel in one sport in order to win a college scholarship. Some are trading the fun and experience of diversifying between basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. for year-round football. As a result, overuse injuries are occurring at an alarming rate among these one-sport wonders.
The magazine article, “Be A Good Sport” by Lori Calabrese shows the history of sports along with the benefits and drawbacks that come with them. Calabrese explains that, “Sports may have begun as a form of survival.” because of the evidence that has been found from Egyptian tombs and wall paintings; the paintings showed wrestling and acrobatics in ways that helped their daily lives. Once the 19th century came around, the sports we know of today first began; many sports came about at the same time and spread rapidly all over the world. Although sports have evolved drastically since then, children and adults still get hurt while participating in these activities that sometimes cause serious harm. Despites knowledge of these bad occurrences, people
Sports Medicine is a medical field that specializes with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. It was introduced around the early Greek and Roman era when the first modern Olympic Games took place. The Greek felt they could do something to help heal and prevent injuries that the athletes were receiving. Now in sports medicine, certain injuries can only be assessed and treated by specific physicians. These physicians can include physical therapists, athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches. Although sports physicians are most commonly seen by athletes after they are hurt so they can be treated, there are some physicians that are seen before an injury occurs so that they can learn how to prevent injuries.
Everyday an athlete goes to practice or game, putting on a possibility of getting injured. A common one of those injuries is the tear of the anterior cruciate ligament, better known as the ACL. When sports that require quick pivoting and harsh landings became more popular such as soccer and basketball, ACL injuries quickly multiplied. Since kids, teens, and even adults usually focus on one sport it often occurs that they can overuse and exert their body causing injury to the ACL (Young Athletes 10).
The word patella comes from the great latin language meaning shallow pan or shallow dish. The description of that word could not be more correct, it was meant in reference to balance of food but in anatomy’s case a balance of the body. The patella is a small bone located in front of the knee joint where the thigh bone (femur) and shinbone (tibia) meet. It protects the knee and connects the muscles in the front of the thigh to the tibia. The patella is one of two sesamoid bones found in the body, roughly triangular shaped in size. It’s thick consistency allows for the articulation of the femur, which in turn allows for body support and balance. The patella has multiple body functions with the primary being knee extension. The patella is essential for basic body functions including locomotion;
A 16-year-old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but 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 acquiring 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 of female ACL ruptures have increased for the past ten years. Over 1.4 million women have suffered from the ACL rupture, which is twice the rate of the previous decade.
Sports may have impacted our culture much more then we thought it would, and keeps impacting. Sports have affected some of the most important aspects of life, such as jobs and money. It has also affected things as little as who we look up to and how we dress. Culture means “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.” The definition of sports is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” So when we put two and two together we get a a nation or world that has changed due to sports. Back in the mid and late 1900’s sports were used to see whose way of life was better. As time went on and keeps going on, we
Why is Sport Medicine Important? Sports medicine is important to schools, trainers, coaches and most of all it should be important to anyone who is an athlete. That includes any athlete no matter their skill level; it could be a beginner or a professional. Sports injuries can happen to anyone, but getting injured is not fun and some of these injuries can affect your life for a short or long term period. Sports injuries need to be treated appropriately because they cause a great deal of damage to your body. This can ruin your sports chances later on in life, not to mention that it can also lower your quality of life. If an athlete gets injured, they should get help from someone who is specialized in sports injuries so t...
An estimated 50 million Americans have suffered or are suffering knee pain or injuries. Most of these pains, sprains, and strains could probably have been avoided with proper conditioning (Fox, 147). I have had knee pain since my freshmen year of high school and have finally taken the initiative to find some exercises that will help ease this pain, and build muscle strength in the surrounding areas to avoid another possible injury.