FREE ACL Injuries in Athletes Essay (original) (raw)

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.
The anterior cruciate ligament is the reason that the knee only has one pattern of movement. Instead of moving sideways and up and down, the knee only serves as a pivot for flexion (bending) and extension (straightening); it holds the tibia and femur in place (northstar). In the northstar web page it is stated that, "The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most important ligaments to athletes because of its main function, stabilization of the joint while decelerating." In other words, it is the reason that we can stop abruptly without our leg collapsing. Obviously this asset makes it an essential to have a functioning ACL while playing sports. It is an especially common injury in soccer, which is a game of constant abrupt stops. Not only is soccer a danger to the ACL because of its constant stops and starts, it is also a game of jumps, falls, and slide-tackles, which put a continuous stress on the ACL for the entire 90 minutes of the game. ACL tears are also more common in women. It is said that the reason for this is because women's bodies were not meant for playing intense sports, and are therefore more likely to endure such injuries.

1. ACL

A recent article posted online at AOL's health center talks about a common knee injury. ... First, it is important to understand just want the ACL is and what it is important for. ... To find out why more women who play sports suffer an injury of the ACL than men Edward M. ... After designing a test that would simulate a pivoting motion while landing on one knee Wojtys measured how well the athletes could stiffen their knees. ... Overall, although it is true that women suffer more ACL injuries than men, it does not need to be. ...

2. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear

It is also one of the most common ligaments in the body to get injured and is particularly common among athletes in football, basketball, soccer and even tennis. ... Approximately 200,000 ACL injuries take place annually. When a patient suffers from ACL injury they often have swelling on the knee and feel unstable alongside with a sharp pain. ... When the patient suffering from an ACL injury goes for examination the Physician usually performs an X-ray to see any sign of fracture on the knee as it is a high possibility when getting an ACL injury. ... When it comes to ACL injuries surgery is oft...

3. High Risk Anatomy and Sports Injuries

It's a known fact that females are more prone to ACL injuries than males. Females have slightly different anatomy that may put them at a higher risk for ACL injuries. I happened to be one of the casualties of this terrible injury. ... I have heard other athletes' talk about hearing the pop. ... Sometimes athletes can play with parcel tears as long as they wear a brace. ...

4. Sexism Goes Beyond The Workforce And Onto The Field (Knee Injuries)

Any athlete is at risk for injury. ... Meniscal tears can vary from a minor injury to a major occurrence in an athlete's career. ... "A twisting injury in a man's knee may only stretch his ACL- (Silberg). ... Fast-reacting muscles are key for preventing ACL injuries. ... The stronger the muscle the easier it is to prevent ACL injuries. ...

5. MCL Tear or Sprain

Tears resulting from rotation combined with side stress with the foot fixed result in an ACl and occaionally PCl tears. ... The athlete lies on his back with the leg extended. ... The athlete lies on his back with the injured leg fully flexed. ... Also there will be slight to absent swelling unless the meniscus or the ACL has been torn. ... When an athlete has this kind of injury he or she must take more precautions because this injury can lead to much more severe injuries. ...

6. Athletic Training

Well, the first and most important job is recognizing, evaluating, and the immediate care of athletic injuries. Other job responsibilities include; prevention of athletic in juries, rehab. and reconditioning oathletic injuries, education and counseling, problem solving, analyzing injuries, taping, bandaging, and stretching athletes, motor skills, communication, basic 1st aid and CPR skills, must work well under stress and with people, demonstrate physical and rehabilitation movements, operating modality machines and other equipment, deductive reasoning, referring athletes to the appropriate p...

7. Athletes Signing To Early

The age of professional athletes seems to be getting younger and younger each year. ... The age of professional athletes is starting to get ridiculous because athletes my age are signing contracts for seven or eight digits each year, along with a large signing bonus and other incintives. ... High school and college athletes are becoming greedier each year. ... For instance, if a rookie tears his ACL while playing in a game or at practice, it could be such a bad injury that he may not ever be able to play his sport again. ... If athletes are able to go to war, then they should be able to be...

8. A.C.L.Injuries

If you've ever read the sports pages, watched a sporting event or competed in a sport yourself, it wouldn't take you long to come across at least one ACL injury. ... The athlete not only has to recover physically but mentally from an injury as serious as an A.C.L. injury. Every athlete wants to avoid knee injury while every coach hopes his players can. ... On average, the length of the ACL is between 28 and 34 mm, the width between 8 and 12mm, and between 4 and 6 mm thick (2). ... When and athlete turns the tibia and the femur can work like scissors grinding against one another a...

9. My Career Goals - Athletic Trainer

An athletic trainer works with high school, college, and professional sports teams to treat, prevent, and manage the injuries of athletes. ... The reason I want to be an athletic trainer is because I want to help athletes get back on their feet after an injury and be able to tell they have an injury before it becomes worse. ... It's not just about sports; it's about more of helping others get back to where they were before an injury or even further than that. ... When he got a significant injury to his leg which ended his career in the league, he decided to go back to school to becom...

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