One false step, one twist, one hard change of direction, or one instance of hard physical contact: That's all it takes to send even the most athletic, grown man or woman crumbling to the ground in a vulnerable heap, clutching their knee. Once able, they then limp off the field to a hidden training room, or doctor's office to be examined over and over. Following an MRI analysis later, they're solemnly informed that their entire season has been taken from them, and that they have a grueling year ahead of them if they ever hope to return to doing whatever it was that put them through this in the first place.
These days serious tears in the knee, particularly of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, or ACL, are sadly becoming a normal occurrence in sports. Take a look at footage of almost any major sport from this past year and compare it to film of the same sport 20 years ago. The speed, strength, and athleticism required of sports today is visibly light-years ahead of where it has been and, these days, athletes are pushing the human body to its physical limits. As a result, anyone from high school to professional levels are at increased risk whenever they suit up. However, thanks to advances in medical technology, as well as breakthroughs in athletic training protocol, this injury is one that can be overcome by any athlete.
Once the crutches are tossed and they're given a walking brace, these athletes begin the rehab process. Several days a week they devote an hour or two of their day to relearning how to use their leg and rebuild the very foundation of their athletic ability. For someone who, weeks ago was sprinting, jumping, and competing, this can be the most galling and mentally fatiguing part of the entire process. The first few weeks or so consists of simply flexing their quad to build the atrophied muscle, bending their knee to increase range of motion, or proprioception exercises to work on their balance and body awareness. These small routines are in fact just as boring as they sound, and can even discourage and frustrate the most driven person.
Athletes can hit walls in rehab with the emotional impact equivalent to a car crash, trying to cling to optimism as the rehab gets harder and harder to focus on. Weeks go by and the exercises get repetitive and monotonous, forcing them to look forward to the small things, such as riding an exercise bike for the first time, just to remain motivated. The worst part is that by this time they are out of their brace, scar healed and walking just fine. Now they must sit back and watch their friends play pick up games, see sports all over the television, or watch their own teams, and find it hard to believe that that might ever be their lifestyle again.
But in time, that is just what happens. A quick follow-up with their surgeon a long six to eight months after the tear and they're once again cleared to cut, sprint, jump or what have you. Months of preparation all building to one moment and then finally it is here, and they get to take a moment to realize just how far they have come. After that they suit up as they always have and, with a nod at their athletic trainers and coaches, a nod that tries to restrain a year's worth of excitement and anticipation, they strut back out onto the field or court to do what they fought so hard all year to do.
