ACL Tears in Women
Why do women tear their ACL's so much more often than men, has been a question I have had since freshmen year. During freshmen year, the ACL club started and the numbers have increased immensely since then. I have watched many of my friends, teammates, and opponents tear their ACl's and go through the 9 month process of rehibilitation. Through the many people I have known that have torn their ACL's, not one of them has been a male. Elizabeth Quinn wrote,"And some statistics says that a female soccer player is eight times more likely to injury her ACL than a male soccer player." My team has gone through ACl prevention programs, but the ACL's still continue. Is there just one reason that is a factor into this horrible injury that seems to affect women so much more often than men. I have heard some explanations such as the ratio between muscle in the thigh to the hamstring, the way women plant or run in sports, but I would love to know what is the one underlying problem that makes it so much more common to women.
ACL injuries are most common in sports such as basketball and soccer, and these sports have become much more developed in the last decade. Elizabeth Quinn wrote,"And some statistics says that a female soccer player is eight times more likely to injury her ACL than a male soccer player." Girls and Boys at a young age are competing in competition level club teams pretty much year round. Coaches are telling them to focus on one sport, instead of trying to do many, to improve their game. The games are getting more intense and kids are practicing more and more. Is the focus of intensity on kids at such a young age becoming a factor to this injury. I think it may have an effect because when kids do a couple different sports they are building different muscles and becoming better athletes as a whole. If kids focus on one sport early on, they are overusing this muscles from an early age. There could be ways to prevent this, by introducing strength conditioning to kids so that when they are in high school, they will have already become aware of prevention of such an intense injury as an ACL. However, should kids be focusing on serious issues such as long-term injuries, when they are just kids playing the sport for fun?
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Dear Kiersten: I was
Dear Kiersten:
I was intrigued when I came across your post, "ACL Tears in Women," because it is a topic that many women athletes have to constantly keep in mind as they play and I was interested in learning more on the issue.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "Through the many people I have known that have torn their ACL's, not one of them has been a male. Elizabeth Quinn wrote,"And some statistics says that a female soccer player is eight times more likely to injury her ACL than a male soccer player."" I think this is interesting and insightful because I also know many people who have fought their way back from an ACL injury, and just as you noticed, none of them were men, which is shocking just looking at the number of athletes I know who have gone through that. It was also insightful because although I had seen this pattern, I had no idea just how much more likely a women is to injure herself- 8 times as much! wow that's quite a lot.
Another sentence that I enjoyed was: " Is the focus of intensity on kids at such a young age becoming a factor to this injury. I think it may have an effect because when kids do a couple different sports they are building different muscles " This stood out for me because it brings up a very interesting point. Like never before, kids are devoted at an early age to just one sport and I agree with you that that could very well be a contributing factor to this issue.
Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. Currently there are four girls on our soccer team who have already gone through the ACL surgery and rehab, along with multiple others who have experienced trouble with their MCL or meniscus and are forced to wear braces, as I'm sure you are aware of. It is sad to me to think that a solid quarter of our team has had some sort of knee trouble and even worse that every time somebody hurts their leg we all immediately assume the worst; a torn ACL.
Thanks for your work on this. I look forward to seeing what you create next, because your writing is thoughtful and brings attention to interesting topics.
Dear
Dear Kiersten:
I was really interested in your post, "ACL Tears in Women" because there are so many different opinions, even from professionals, one why women are more likely to suffer this injury than men. Which, in my experience, can be really frustrating because then you don't know who to listen to. I think that all doctors and therapists need to come up with a reasonable, consensus in order to tell female athletes what exactly they can do to prevent this injury, and what they can do to recover from this injury, and still be able to play at the same level they were at before they were injured.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "I have heard some explanations such as the ratio between muscle in the thigh to the hamstring, the way women plant or run in sports, but I would love to know what is the one underlying problem that makes it so much more common to women. " I think you make a good point because you've heard some kind of explanation, but it seems no one has ever told you what this "underlying problem"is.
It goes back to my last point. There have been many good studies of women and ACL's, but the results are always arguable. What works for some doesn't always work for everyone. Does this mean that it mostly depends on the individual?
Another sentence that I related to was: "However, should kids be focusing on serious issues such as long-term injuries, when they are just kids playing the sport for fun?" This stood out for me because, like you, I've been playing competitive sports my whole life and I love them. And I think that at a certain age kids, especially girls should start thinking about injury prevention if they're serious about playing sports at a higher level of competition. However, there should be a time when kids can play the sports they enjoy without feeling pressured to dedicate themselves to one sport. We need to find a balance between competition and enjoyment.
This post really affects me because 9 months ago I tore my ACL, and damaged part of my MCL too. It was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. Even now I'm apprehensive about stepping back onto the court full speed. I wonder if I did enough strength training or enough agility and cutting to be ready for the season. But I don't want this to stop me from doing something I love. 9 months is way too long.
Thanks for your work on this. I look forward to seeing what you create next, because your writing was something I could easily relate to.
Dear Kiersten : I enjoyed
Dear Kiersten :
I enjoyed your post, "ACL tears in women" because it is an extremely intriguing question that is especially relevent in our Judge community. One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "And some statistics says that a female soccer player is eight times more likely to injury her ACL than a male soccer player." I think this is interesting because I can't think of any of my male friends that have had this sort of injury while competing athletically before.
Another sentence that I found provocative was: "I have heard some explanations such as the ratio between muscle in the thigh to the hamstring, the way women plant or run in sports". This stood out for me because studying this comparison in men and women could lead to many interesting findings.
Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. I've noticed many incidents where guys on a team I'm competing with (or against) have suffered ACL or MCL strains, but never tears. Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because you raise very interesting questions.
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Dear Kiersten,
I immediately drawn to your post, "ACL tears in Women," because this is a subject I can easily relate to, as well as have the same questions about. These past four years I have witnessed an alarmingly high number of ACL tears, and I have yet to find a reason as to why so many more of them occur in women.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "The focus of intensity on kids at such a young age may become a factor to this injury." I think this is an interesting point because so many kids are starting high intensity athletics at an earlier age now. Kids and sometimes parents are pushing towards leaving rec. programs, and aiming towards competitive leagues. However, the point you brought up brings up a new issue. If kids who play a lot in their early adolescence are more susceptible towards serious injuries, is it worth it to enter them at such an early age?
Another sentence that I found intriguing was: "I have heard some explanations such as the ratio between muscle in the thigh to the hamstring, the way women plant or run in sports, but I would love to know what is the one underlying problem that makes it so much more common to women." I may be able to provide some insight to this concern of yours. According to how my therapist explained it to me, female athletes tend to use more of their quad muscles on a regular basis, which can create the imbalance. Although many female athletes find the time to lift in the weight room, there is also a significant number who don’t. Quads are more easily used than hamstring muscles. As athletes, we do a lot more squatting and exploding exercises during games and practices, which utilize our quads. So just by our everyday athletic activity we are throwing off the quad to hamstring strength ratio. In order to balance it out, it’s necessary to get to a gym. However if that is not accomplished by the athlete then they can become more injury prone.
Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. I tore my ACL my freshman year, and through that I have since learned a lot about what it takes to prevent such injuries, and why we as women are more at risk to them.
Thank you for your work on this. I look forward to seeing what you create next, because the information you provided was very easy to relate to, and it covered an area that can apply to many female athletes. You brought up a lot of crucial information that I found to be very valuable.