One of the most common and feared injuries sports injuries is the anterior cruciate ligament tear, or what is popularly termed as an ACL. A list of high profile athletes have suffered this injury, from NBA players in Derrick Rose and Jamal Crawford to former Philippine Azkals defender Aly Borromeo, instrumentally affecting their careers. Among the DLSU athletes who have dealt with ACL tears in the past include Lady Spiker Desiree Cheng and Green Archers guard Kib Montalbo, while more recently, Women’s Football striker Shannon Arthur and Green Archer Gboy Gobb are currently sidelined and will not be back until the succeeding UAAP season.
But what makes the ACL injury so prevalent among athletes? How long does an ACL Injury normally take for athlete to recover back to playing condition, and what procedures does it entail? DLSU Rehabilitation Head Physical Therapist Teddy Fabian provides the answers to these questions.
How athletes are prone to ACL and prevention
A common denominator among players who have gotten the injury while playing their respective sports was a momentary lapse due to improper body movement. As athletes are trained to execute the proper kinematic sequences intended for their respective sports, a wrong twist or improper landing may spell dividends for a player’s risk of injury. In such cases, the knee is subject to receiving a bulk of the impact, with the ligaments which connect the femur to the tibia, namely, the ACL, Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL), and Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL), are at risk of getting strained or torn.
The sports which Fabian observed were most susceptible to having this injury are basketball, volleyball, and football. This is because each requires high-intensity movements, which likewise take its toll on a player’s lower body. Jumping, running, and twisting are usual circumstances of ACL tears.
When asked what led to the rise of injuries as compared to the past, Fabian observed that it was due to the increasing level of competition. As scientific training has given players a more methodical approach to harnessing their skills and potentials, it would be hard to argue that players today are more athletic than those of the past.
Seeing these aspects of each sport as a cause for concern, the Office of Sports and Development (OSD) maintains a comprehensive training regimen for all athletes. As such, injury prevention and rehabilitation have become part and parcel of player development, which requires the coordination among all coaches. “Me and coach Marlon [Celis, the overall strength and conditioning coach] coordinate with one another [with prehabilitation and rehabilitation],” mentions Fabian.
Stages for ACL rehabilitation
As soon as an athlete is diagnosed with an ACL, a stress test and X-rays are done to determine its severity, whether it’s a sprain or a tear. In the case of the latter, surgery is required.
The acute stage occurs a week after surgery. Fabian sees this as the most critical phase of recovery, as they would have to supervise the adverse effects and manage the swelling and pains of the athlete for four to six weeks.
After the athlete is cleared by doctors to engage in physical activity, along with the guidance of his team, Fabian will have them undergo a series of movements and exercises which are similar to the athlete’s sport. Lastly, the integration of movements and activities that are required for the sport are done in the return-to-sport training phase, before the player eventually reports back to training.
This rigorous process is encapsulated in nine months to a year before full recovery.
On the road to recovery and injury prevention
Perhaps the most difficult decision an athlete makes once fully recovered from injury is getting back to playing competitively. More than the physical anxieties that hound an athlete, mental recovery is key.
Athletes are prone to having the mentality of wanting instant results which can somehow harm their road to recovery. “They have doubts of returning to peak form,” observes Fabian. But through patience and support, his players are encouraged to continue their recovery.
Following DLSU’s recent successes in the UAAP while seeing a significant decrease in injury incidences across all sports, it has partly been a product of an annual Injury Prevention Program which Fabian and Celis established.
Nonetheless, regardless of whether an athlete lives up to his potential after an injury, any attempt at a comeback is reason enough to be commended. On the other hand, it must also be noteworthy that the likes of Fabian and his team of physical therapists are around to bring the University’s beleaguered athletes out of their disgruntled and impaired state, and back to playing the sport they love.
