My research question came from my interest in my major, which is Kinesiology. I wanted to know, as a future sports physical therapist, how to rehabilitate athletes with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). The question is significant because athletes and physical educators want to know the characteristics, risk factors, and cautions. The question that comes to most athletes’, therapists’, and physical educators’ minds is how they can avoid and treat the injury when it happens.
Numerous sources identify what an ACL is and state all the problems it can bring. Most state that an ACL is the most known ligament to be torn in sports. Others also state that risk factors can help alleviate the problem sooner and educate many athletes’ and therapists’. …show more content…
An ACL is one of the most common injured muscles in today’s sports. Authors Richard T Cotton and Ross Andersen define where an ACL is in the body. “It is located within the joint capsule of the knee. It attaches superiorly on the femur and inferiorly on the tibia” (Cotton and Andersen 354). “The ACL is useful in helping prevent the tibia from moving forward on the femur when doing quadriceps contraction” (Cotton and Andersen 354). They also state “Injuries to the ACL is commonly caused by rapid deceleration (such as a basketball player stopping suddenly) or by a direct blow to the knee to hyperextended” (Cotton and Andersen 354). Any movement done like this by the athlete can cause great concern to a physical therapist and educators. SportsEX Medicine gives information on some gender differences when it comes to a torn ACL. They state that “Females are 4 to 6 times more likely to injure their ACL compared to their male counterparts for a similar level sport” (SportsEX Medicine 7). Female athletes are more prone to the injury because of the way their posture is while performing the sport. Knowing the cost and societal impact of an ACL is another characteristic. Authors Mather III, Richard C., et al explain how much an ACL can cost and how it affects an athlete. They state that “ACL reconstruction is both less costly (a cost reduction of $4503) and more effective when compared with rehabilitation. ACL reconstruction is the preferred cost-effective treatment strategy for ACL tears and yields reduced societal costs relative to rehabilitation once indirect cost factors” (Mather, et al). Athletes’ with a ruptured ACL cannot perform like they used to, resulting in a loss in their value of life and finances. Writers Micheo, Hernandez, and Seda also agree with the costs and epidemiology of an ACL. They report that “the ACL is essential for both static and
Numerous sources identify what an ACL is and state all the problems it can bring. Most state that an ACL is the most known ligament to be torn in sports. Others also state that risk factors can help alleviate the problem sooner and educate many athletes’ and therapists’. …show more content…
An ACL is one of the most common injured muscles in today’s sports. Authors Richard T Cotton and Ross Andersen define where an ACL is in the body. “It is located within the joint capsule of the knee. It attaches superiorly on the femur and inferiorly on the tibia” (Cotton and Andersen 354). “The ACL is useful in helping prevent the tibia from moving forward on the femur when doing quadriceps contraction” (Cotton and Andersen 354). They also state “Injuries to the ACL is commonly caused by rapid deceleration (such as a basketball player stopping suddenly) or by a direct blow to the knee to hyperextended” (Cotton and Andersen 354). Any movement done like this by the athlete can cause great concern to a physical therapist and educators. SportsEX Medicine gives information on some gender differences when it comes to a torn ACL. They state that “Females are 4 to 6 times more likely to injure their ACL compared to their male counterparts for a similar level sport” (SportsEX Medicine 7). Female athletes are more prone to the injury because of the way their posture is while performing the sport. Knowing the cost and societal impact of an ACL is another characteristic. Authors Mather III, Richard C., et al explain how much an ACL can cost and how it affects an athlete. They state that “ACL reconstruction is both less costly (a cost reduction of $4503) and more effective when compared with rehabilitation. ACL reconstruction is the preferred cost-effective treatment strategy for ACL tears and yields reduced societal costs relative to rehabilitation once indirect cost factors” (Mather, et al). Athletes’ with a ruptured ACL cannot perform like they used to, resulting in a loss in their value of life and finances. Writers Micheo, Hernandez, and Seda also agree with the costs and epidemiology of an ACL. They report that “the ACL is essential for both static and