ACL Injuries
Source:
"Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries-OrthoInfo - AAOS." Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries-OrthoInfo - AAOS. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
Date:
October 16th, 2015
Analysis:
Although the injuries treated in Sports Medicine can vary widely, the most common injuries, including ACL injuries, arise from high contact and high intensity sports such as football and soccer. As a whole, these sports are ones in which the athletes exert themselves to the fullest, and therefore the demand on their bodies cause the most physical consequences. According to the article, the ACL, or the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, is found in the knee and provides rotational stability, and is highly likely to tear due to the extreme pressure that athletes put on their knees. The ACL tear is one of the most common injuries in sports, and in the future, it could definitely be an injury I focus on for ISM as I research more and more about better preventative methods.
ACL tears can be extremely devastating injuries, but according to the article, there are three different levels of severeness. This classification system is similar to the one for ankle sprains, and is perhaps a common theme among sports injuries. The system ranks from levels one to three. The article states that type one refers to a slightly stretched and easily treated stretching of the ligament. Type two stretches the ligament even more, to the point where it becomes loose and is considered a partial tear. Type three is the last and worst kind, as it indicates a complete tear of the ACL into two pieces. However, partial tears are very rare, and the most common kinds are type one and type three. Therefore, I need to focus on the diagnosis process of injuries in-depth, because not all ACL tears or ankle sprains or concussions are the same. I would like to familiarize myself with the diagnosis of certain injuries due to the fact that diagnosis is the first step to treatment. I feel that the diagnosis process is often times overlooked, but even a simple mistake could cause unnecessary pain. In the long run, I wish to be thorough in all aspects of my Sports Medicine path, even as I progress through years of medical school.
According to the article, there are numerous different causes of ACL tears, including changing direction rapidly, stopping suddenly, or landing from a jump incorrectly. Therefore, it makes sense for the aforementioned sports to have a high number of this injury due to how prevalent these causes are in high intensity sports. The knee is crucial in the way we walk and maintain our balance, so ACL tears can be extremely detrimental. As for the symptoms, the article states that this injury usually entails swelling and pain, discomfort when walking, and tenderness along the joint line. I personally do not see how someone could not recognize they have injured their ACL unless it is a very minor sprain; you literally cannot walk when your knee blows out. The big question here is: how can we prevent this injury?
In my understanding, by limiting the causes of ACL tears, the overall number of these injuries has to decrease. Currently, the most common treatments are simply surgery and in some rare cases physical therapy. ACL tears are a big deal, a majority of the tears need to be treated under the knife and not solely with a brace. As a result, my goal is not to better treatment, but as a whole reduce that which causes the injury. If I can make better sports equipment, increase awareness about this issue, or even change the rules of some of the sports to keep athletes from getting hurt, then I will have succeeded in addressing a problem that has plaguing the sports community for years. Some of the greatest athletes have succumbed to ACL tears, causing season-ending or even career-ending injuries. For example, the former rookie of the year in the NBA, Derrick Rose, was cut short from stardom when he suffered a major ACL injury. As an avid basketball fan, I would love to improve prevention methods of ACL tears and sprains. Although I may not have a million dollars or my own company, I believe the best approach for me will be to start small and go from there.
