That is a great question, and I certainly understand his desire to play. If he runs and plants the foot to change directions, the knee might buckle. If he lands from a jump, his knee might give way. Not only would it be difficult to play with an unstable knee, he risks further damage, like meniscus tears and articular cartilage damage. It is not guaranteed that such a brace would completely prevent the knee from buckling with cutting, pivoting or landing movements. It could be better than playing without a brace, though.
If the knee gives way in the brace, the athlete and his parents could then decide to have surgery. There are studies, however, that show higher rates of secondary damage to the knee in young athletes who elect nonoperative treatment of an ACL tear compared to those who undergo early surgery. Also read: Ask Dr. Recommended Products and Resources Click here to go to Dr. Due to a large number of questions I have received over the years asking about products for health, injuries, performance, and other areas of sports, exercise, work and life, I have created an Amazon Influencer page.
While this information and these products are not intended to treat any specific injury or illness you have, they are products I use personally, have used or have tried, or I have recommended to others.
Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Quick tips for a variety of sports- and exercise-related bone and joint injuries - Learn when those injuries could be serious and what you should do about them. Find an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in your injury, who explains the injury in ways you can understand and more. If you need more information about your particular injury and options to treat it and recover quickly and safely, talk to me one-on-one!
Understand your ACL injury and your treatment options even if you have no medical knowledge and have looked everywhere for answers with no luck! Of all the possible things I thought I had done to my knee, a torn ACL had never occurred to me, and I was immediately filled with dread that I would have to get surgery and sit out the season.
I had spent the first few years of my college baseball career as a backup catcher and had finally been able to crack the starting lineup as a junior after a solid showing in the fall season. When I got the news about my knee, I was devastated. I thought of all the time I had spent in the gym and the batting cages and how it was all for nothing now that I had suffered this injury. I remember telling my dad the news, and how disappointed he was.
He had been looking forward to seeing me play that season, and he was just upset as I was by the news: I would not be playing for another year. I also knew that with only two catchers on our roster, I would be hurting my team by sitting out the season.
Playing with a torn ACL is not easy, and I would not recommend it for everybody. I went to see a doctor and got a prescription for a custom-fitted brace to protect my feeble knee from sliding in and out of place. I also spent hours in the gym working to strengthen my quadriceps and hamstrings to take some of the strain off my remaining ligaments and stabilize my knee.
Throwing became a difficult and often painful chore, as the rotational forces on my knee during my follow through caused it to buckle several times. Though I suffered a few setbacks over the winter, I was convinced that I could be in playing shape by the first game of the season in the last week of February. By the time February rolled around, I was able to throw, hit, and run, but I still could not fully get into my crouch behind the plate. Nevertheless, I went back to school to begin spring practice with the rest of my team.
During the first week of practice I was able to keep up with my teammates during running and agility drills, but my mobility behind the plate was absolutely miserable. To make catching possible, I had to change my stance so that almost all my weight was on my right leg. Blocking balls to my right was an especially daunting task, since it required me to push off of my left leg at an angle. Every bullpen session would end with my left knee swollen and my right leg on fire from doing the work of both legs, but I suffered silently and kept my knee on ice for hours after every practice to try to keep the inflammation down.
By the time of our season-opener in North Carolina 2 months after my injury , I had regained full range of motion and felt confident that I would be able to play. There was still a shred of doubt, though; a lingering worry in the back of my mind that my knee would just give out on a throw or a swing and end my season for good. Thankfully, that moment never came. Instead, I was encouraged by a play that I made behind the plate that nobody else noticed.
When playing with an injury, an athlete will usually remain cognizant of the fact that something about their body is not healthy and will change their mechanics to keep from causing themselves pain. But sometimes, a player will be so locked in and focused that they essentially forget their injury and revert back to old mechanics, which may or may not result in pain.
I had this experience during our fifth game of the season in Stafford, VA. I was catching in the early innings, and our pitcher bounced a curveball in the left-handed batters box. Without thinking, I pushed off with my left leg, slid in front of the ball, and blocked it. To everybody watching the game, this was probably a very forgettable play.
But for me, it was huge. Weighing both the positives and negatives is important as there can be drawbacks to surgery as well. Some of the possible complications that can occur as a result of ACL surgery are:. Although ACL surgery can be very effective and successful, just like with any surgery, complications can occur and there are dangers involved. Before opting for surgery, speak to a physiotherapist to get a full breakdown of all of your non-surgical treatment options.
The timeline for a return to playing sports after an ACL reconstruction completely depends on the severity of the tear and the individual. On average, returning to sports activity can be accomplished in weeks after full range-of-motion is established. Range-of-motion is established over time through rehabilitation exercises, rest, and supervision. Although for many athletes, even after surgery and rehabilitation, a return to sports is not imminent nor guaranteed.
Fast-paced, pivoting, and twisting motions as found in sports like football, rugby, soccer, and netball all put stress on the ACL and increase the chances of injury. Post ACL Surgery, along with physiotherapists, exercise physiology plays a pivotal role in improving the surgical outcomes for ACL repair.
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