The truth behind the ACL injury
By Maggie Pugliese
Jack tries to steal the ball from Marty, they get in a scuffle and Jack goes down.Oh no!
He is holding his knee; it looks like he is in agony. If it is a knee injury Jack could be sitting out the whole season.
In just a split second, many athletes at Cleveland State University are faced with knee injuries known as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
The ACL lies in the middle of the knee, and prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, in addition to supporting the knee. Rupturing an ACL causes significant short term and long term disability.
Athletes tear their ACL due to traumatic force to the knee in a twisting moment. Injury can occur with direct or indirect force. Athletes usually hear a "pop" and when it happens and tend to be in severe pain in which the knee swells up. Rehabilitation from an injury like this takes six to eight months after surgery.
Female athletes are especially susceptible to these types of injuries. A study by Dr. Timothy Hewett from the Cincinnati Medicine and Research Foundation, in 1999 found that women are 1.3 to 2.4 times more likely to hurt their knees while playing sports. One of the reasons women are more likely to suffer an ACL tear that their hormone cycles are different. The ACL is shaped differently and most women tend to play sports in an upright position.
On the CSU soccer team alone, five players have suffered ACL injuries in 2006. A major reason why it is common among soccer athletes is because the sport requires athletes to stop abruptly and change their direction while running, pivoting, landing from a jump, or overextending the knee joint. These sudden moves can ultimately cause an ACL tear.
Athletes have several options when it comes to surgery. The most common is the patellar tendon graft, the hamstring graft and the allograft procedure. Rehabilitation for an ACL injury requires numerous exercises and requires the athlete to be mentally and physically ready for pain. With today's doctors and specialists many athletes can go back to competition and be just as effective as they were before their injury.
"Today aggressive rehabilitation and surgery allow many athletes to return to their former level of competition, whether that is professional athletics or weekend games of touch football with friends," said Dr. Paul D. Fadele.
Not only do knee injuries affect an athlete physically but it is also mentally challenging.
Coming back into play causes much emotional plain, the athlete fears it might happen again.
Jennifer Wieand, a standout forward on the women's soccer team, suffered an ACL tear in the summer of 2006.
"I just didn't feel like I was part of the team, there were many days where I felt disconnected, but you have to try to stay strong. I never thought it would happen to me," Wieand said.
Once and athlete suffers from an ACL tear it can happen again. CSU women's soccer coach, Derrek Falor has dealt with three knee surgeries in the three years he has been here.
"In any contact sport, an ACL injury is hard to come back from. As a coach, I keep my players confident and make sure they learn from the game," Falor said.
Falor went on to say that when players sit out for so long they are scared that they will not be the same player they were before. Athletes can deal with these feelings by going to see sports psychologists as well as being physically prepared.
ACL injuries also affect the team. Many teams can build around an ACL injury due to a strong bench, but if a team doesn't have the maturity or success this may be difficult.
"Some teams rally around, but it was hard for our team because we had three effective players," Falor said.
Preventing ACL injuries is the key.
"By making your legs stronger and working on techniques, this may help in the long run and it seems to me like this may prevent ACL injuries in some athletes," Wieand said.
CSU women's soccer uses the PEP program to help prevent ACL injuries. The program consists of plyometrics, jumping exercises and different kinds of sprints. Trying to build muscle and staying in shape is important in preventing ACL injuries.
Ruth Rachel Przybojewski contributed to this story.