Tanier: ACL Tears Don't Have to Happen

[JD_KaPow]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-injures-can-be-drastically-reduced-heres-how

Long article, but interesting.

Jordy Nelson's ACL tear didn't have to happen. Neither did Kelvin Benjamin's. Or Orlando Scandrick's: A non-contact injury, just like the others. Many of the other ACL tears, hamstring pulls and soft-tissue injuries that have plagued this preseason did not have to happen.

Sure, some injuries will always, inevitably occur. But the number of non-contact, soft-tissue injuries could easily be cut in half, or even further reduced.

"You can reduce risk [of non-contact ACL injuries in the NFL] somewhere between 50 and 70 percent," according to Dr. Timothy Hewett, director of biomechanics and sports medicine research at the Mayo Clinic, who has researched knee injuries for over 20 years.

This drastic reduction does not involve abolishing preseason games, eliminating joint practices or boxing players in packing peanuts until the opening-day kickoff. All it takes is an open-minded approach to proven medical research, a minor shakeup of the traditional NFL practice routine and maybe a few plastic milk crates.

 

[erod]

Today, players build their muscle to such a degree, their natural frames can't support them. That usually results in a failure in the tendons.

It's true that you can work on tendons to make them more flexible to a degree, but the size and strength of today's athletes is still more than these tendons can bear.

25 years ago, you didn't see nearly this many injuries.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The laws of physics demands these injuries occur. It's how the Universe stays in balance.

 

[rockj7]

The laws of physics demands these injuries occur. It's how the Universe stays in balance.

I'm going to have to disagree with my fellow Zone brother respectfully. Our frames based on genetics and culture are not meant to be 350 plus or to collide with each other with violent force

 

[DallasEast]

Outstanding article. I'm real surprised to read it on Bleacher Report. One omission was any mention or links to Dr. Hewett's research. I doubt he didn't do a paper or two on his research during his 20-year study of injuries. Mentioning a study would've served as a great complement to the article. I would have enjoyed reading some of the data.

 

[Alexander]

Catapult Sports is one of the vendors mentioned and ironically both the Packers and Cowboys are clients.

 

[casmith07]

Outstanding article. I'm real surprised to read it on Bleacher Report. One omission was any mention or links to Dr. Hewett's research. I doubt he didn't do a paper or two on his research during his 20-year study of injuries. Mentioning a study would've served as a great complement to the article. I would have enjoyed reading some of the data.

Thus, Bleacher Report.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Outstanding article. I'm real surprised to read it on Bleacher Report.

Mike Tanier's the real deal. He was at Football Outsiders, the New York Times and Sports on Earth before heading to Bleacher Report. He's the only guy on there worth reading, but he's really worth reading.

 

[Cowboys22]

I'm going to have to disagree with my fellow Zone brother respectfully. Our frames based on genetics and culture are not meant to be 350 plus or to collide with each other with violent force

I think that's exactly what he meant. The laws of physics demand injuries when overbuilt bodies are subjected to violent collisions.

 

[punchnjudy]

Today, players build their muscle to such a degree, their natural frames can't support them. That usually results in a failure in the tendons.

It's true that you can work on tendons to make them more flexible to a degree, but the size and strength of today's athletes is still more than these tendons can bear.

25 years ago, you didn't see nearly this many injuries.

Along those lines, I was reading an old article (12/2014) a few days ago that discussed a lot of problems with the NFL's drug testing policies. I believe there have been some changes since then, but I was surprised at how much of a difference it can make just allowing players to have 24 hours notice.


http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2014/dec/08/nfl-drug-testing-policies/

In the piles of doping evidence against cyclist Lance Armstrong is a story about how drug testers showed up unannounced at the world championships for his sport. Armstrong had them test a teammate first while someone smuggled a bag of saline under his raincoat, past the doping control officers, and infused it into him.

The saline quickly restored Armstrong’s blood levels within acceptable limits, and he would then pass the test. The whole thing took about 15 minutes.

Imagine if you had three hours. Or 24.

“It’s amazing what they can do,” Don Catlin, the pre-eminent anti-doping scientist in the United States, told the Wall Street Journal in 2012. “If you don’t have surprise testing, they can run rings around you.”

 

[xwalker]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-injures-can-be-drastically-reduced-heres-how

Long article, but interesting.

Scandricks injury is particularly interesting in that he already missed several days because of problems with that knee prior to the injury. I wonder if they did an MRI on it before the injury and what the criteria was before he returned.

 

[erod]

Scandricks injury is particularly interesting in that he already missed several days because of problems with that knee prior to the injury. I wonder if they did an MRI on it before the injury and what the criteria was before he returned.

Could have been unraveling already. Achilles tend to do that; they weaken and fray, then just give out.

 

[BigStar]

Along those lines, I was reading an old article (12/2014) a few days ago that discussed a lot of problems with the NFL's drug testing policies. I believe there have been some changes since then, but I was surprised at how much of a difference it can make just allowing players to have 24 hours notice.


http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2014/dec/08/nfl-drug-testing-policies/

In the piles of doping evidence against cyclist Lance Armstrong is a story about how drug testers showed up unannounced at the world championships for his sport. Armstrong had them test a teammate first while someone smuggled a bag of saline under his raincoat, past the doping control officers, and infused it into him.

The saline quickly restored Armstrong’s blood levels within acceptable limits, and he would then pass the test. The whole thing took about 15 minutes.

Imagine if you had three hours. Or 24.

“It’s amazing what they can do,” Don Catlin, the pre-eminent anti-doping scientist in the United States, told the Wall Street Journal in 2012. “If you don’t have surprise testing, they can run rings around you.”

Everyone in the NFL juices. I'm just glad the Govt/media hasn't harped in on that distinction (24 hours to clean up).

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

They do when Unlucky Whitehead is around.

 

[remdak]

Scandricks injury is particularly interesting in that he already missed several days because of problems with that knee prior to the injury. I wonder if they did an MRI on it before the injury and what the criteria was before he returned.

I heard on on Cowboys Break or Talkin' Cowboys that it was the other knee that got hurt. I don't have a link or anything like that, just my memory of the discussion.

 

[AbeBeta]

Today, players build their muscle to such a degree, their natural frames can't support them. That usually results in a failure in the tendons.

It's true that you can work on tendons to make them more flexible to a degree, but the size and strength of today's athletes is still more than these tendons can bear.

25 years ago, you didn't see nearly this many injuries.

25 years ago these injuries would be career ending

 

[xwalker]

Could have been unraveling already. Achilles tend to do that; they weaken and fray, then just give out.

Do you mean ACLs?

 

[texbumthelife]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-injures-can-be-drastically-reduced-heres-how

Long article, but interesting.

Fascinating article. Articulate and very well written. Thank you for that!

 

[erod]

25 years ago these injuries would be career ending

ACL tears were not career-ending 25 years ago, but

Do you mean ACLs?

Both. I talked to a doctor about this once, and he said often these aren't instantaneous tears. They sometimes weaken over time before they pop. On my daughter's club soccer team, we've had 7 ACL surgeries. Only one of them was direct contact. Of course, with girls, when their hips widen, it makes them more prone to this injury. The stockier they are waist down, the more pressure and weakening in the knee ligaments, so he said.

I think today's pro athletes are so finely tuned muscularly that their tendons are much more susceptible to these. You can't really build tendon strength like you can muscular density and strength. It's like putting a Ferrari engine in a Camry. It used to be a much rarer injury back in the day, and now they're so commonplace.

PEDs, unfortunately, play a big part. They speed up the building process for the muscles, but not the ligaments.

 

[xwalker]

ACL tears were not career-ending 25 years ago, but


Both. I talked to a doctor about this once, and he said often these aren't instantaneous tears. They sometimes weaken over time before they pop. On my daughter's club soccer team, we've had 7 ACL surgeries. Only one of them was direct contact. Of course, with girls, when their hips widen, it makes them more prone to this injury. The stockier they are waist down, the more pressure and weakening in the knee ligaments, so he said.

I think today's pro athletes are so finely tuned muscularly that their tendons are much more susceptible to these. You can't really build tendon strength like you can muscular density and strength. It's like putting a Ferrari engine in a Camry. It used to be a much rarer injury back in the day, and now they're so commonplace.

PEDs, unfortunately, play a big part. They speed up the building process for the muscles, but not the ligaments.

The soccer girls are doing PEDs?