ACL Epidemic
- Christian Clark
- Jun 18, 2018
- 5 min read
Written in April 2018- Journalism Class @ Cosby High in Midlothian
—Christian Clark, Staff Writer, PR—
Michael Jordan is often regarded as the best professional basketball player of all time. So when point guard Derrick Rose, drafted first overall from Memphis in the 2008 NBA Draft came to the Windy City, the Bulls and their fans had sky high expectations. Rose was arguably the best player that the Bulls had acquired since Jordan and nothing short of a championship with Rose on the court would be a huge disappointment.
Rose was extremely successful. In 2010, he won the NBA’s most prestigious award in the Most Valuable Player. In 2011, the Bulls were the talk of the town with a 50-16 record and the NBA’s best record. They were on an inevitable collision course to the NBA Finals it seemed like. However, with under 90 seconds left in a easy Bulls win, Rose jumped in the air to his right and landed awkwardly and crumbled to the court. Rose had torn his ACL as the Bulls would lose the opening round playoff series following the news.
Since the 2012 ACL tear, Rose has had many injuries such as a torn meniscus and an orbital fracture. Many people will unfairly make him the poster child in professional sports of what can happen to oft-injured athletes. The fact that Rose is still in the NBA, currently on the Minnesota Timberwolves, and playing at a pretty high level still is impressive. However, most people can easily see that the former NBA MVP doesn’t have the same explosiveness or impact that he once had before his injury.
Now Derrick Rose is only one major case of an ACL injury affecting a league star and changing the entire course of his career as he isn’t the only one this has happened to. While many players recover quite fine from knee injuries, some are not so lucky. In the past, many athletes had no choice but to retire after suffering one of these injuries. With modern medicine and advanced technology, most people are able to at least function properly. Will they play at 100% pre-ACL tear? Not always. But what exactly is an ACL tear? Why do ACL injuries happen so often in professional sports? Are ACL tears preventable? I’m glad you asked...
What is an ACL tear?
An Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the two major ligaments located inside the knee along with the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL). A tear of the occurs when the ACL takes more stress than anticipated, either due to a unstable fall or another athlete falling awkwardly on the knee to the point where the knee experiences a “popping” sensation as described by many athletes and then follows by pain and swelling of the knee. A complete tear (Grade 3 Sprain) of the ACL will require surgery. A person can still walk without an ACL but lateral and rotational movement will be restricted and/or very painful. Recovery time of an ACL tear can range from six months to a year or more depending on the severity of the injury and if other ligaments were damaged alongside the ACL.
Why are there so many ACL tears?
It can be inferred that the rate of contact based off the sport has a huge impact on the amount of ACL tears in their respective leagues. However, according to OrthoNC, around 70% of ACL tears are non-contact injuries. Stopping suddenly, sharp cuts, and incorrect form on a jump can result in a non-contact ACL injury.
Football has the most contact ACL tears over the likes of MLS or the NBA. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the world’s best athletes are running at top speed and cutting over a grass or turf field, often times in bad weather. Football is by far the sport with the most ACL tears but with that being said, let’s take a look at reported ACL tears and return statistics in the last few years in the U.S. five professional sport leagues and see how they stack up.
NFL: 51 (2017); 46 (2016), 48 (2015), 45 (2014), 63 (2013)
NBA: 3+ (As of October 11th, 2017), 2 (2016), 2 (2015), 3 (2014), 4 (2013)
MLB: No official data but notable players that have torn their ACL in the last two years include Kyle Schwarber, Adam Eaton, and Mike Napoli.
NHL: The National Hockey League had the highest rate of athletes returning back to their sport at 97% according to a series of papers, published in 2014, in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.
MLS: Since 1996, MLS has increased in ACL tears. This may coincide with the fact that more teams have been added to the league since then but it is still food for thought. In 2012, the MLS suffered its highest rate of ACL tears with 11. This is a stark contrast to a four year period between 1998 and 2001 where just two ACL tears were reported to the league office.
This is what the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine also had to say about injuries in Major League Soccer, “While most injuries in Major League Soccer athletes are non-contact injuries, these players tend to have more ACL tears in their left knee and have a 77 percent chance of returning to the field after an ACL tear.”
Which gender is more susceptible to tearing their ACL and why?
Without a doubt, females are more likely to tear their ACL than men. In fact, according to OrthoNC, females are five times as likely to sustain a non-contact ACL injury than men. They also mention that different biomechanics of females knees affect the rate of tears as well. This includes their knees being less bent while jumping and landing as well as that their knees are more turned in towards the body’s midline.
How can future conditioning practices help lessen ACL injuries?
There is a reason why the best conditioning coaches in the world are in high demand. There is a fine line between working hard and working TOO hard. Professional athletes are elite for a reason. They have to push themselves harder than anyone else would typically do. However, rest days and breaks are crucial because even the strongest men can have a career ending injury with improper training and fundamentals. These coaches will show their athletes special foods to eat, liquids to drink, and stretches to perform to keep themselves from getting hurt.
The only way that there is a 100% chance of avoiding an ACL tear is simply to not play. That is not going to happen. The truth of the matter is that ACL tears will still exist as long as sports exist and athletes will have to prepare for the worst. The best that recreational players and professional athletes can do is listen to coaches and doctors if pain or a minor injury arises so it does not balloon into something worse. No matter what, athletes everywhere will need to have the mindset to play hard and do their best to enjoy the sport they love, despite the risks.
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