Why Johnny Can't Plant the Foot

[jgmacg]

The torn ACL epidemic among our sporting youth.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/health/18knee.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1203347192-Xrb65Q4fHjCaNTm8vM+XHQ

 

[MartinEnigmatica]

I saw this last night, and was amazed at some of the stuff in there, like the picture of a 12 year old with a repaired ACL doing squats in a gym. This was a little scary, in reference to the operation on kids with developing growth plates:

'A year after the operation, Dr. Fu said, the leg with the repair was bowed 20 degrees on one side and was shorter than the other leg.

“I had to go in on the other side and stop the growth,” Dr. Fu said. “Now, about six months later, the leg is still crooked. There still is a two-inch difference in length which I have to fix.” The boy, he said, “will be a little bit shorter” as a result, although both legs will be the same length.'



And the author's name - Gina Kolata - is a hoot.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

Line in that story confused me.
It says that the "old belief" was that boys suffered ACL tears more than girls. However, after tearing my left ACL (I later tore the right) in 1996, the doctor told me that girls were more prone to the injury because of how their hips and knees were alligned.

 

[Barsuk]

Line in that story confused me.
It says that the "old belief" was that boys suffered ACL tears more than girls. However, after tearing my left ACL (I later tore the right) in 1996, the doctor told me that girls were more prone to the injury because of how their hips and knees were alligned.

A leading orthopedic surgeon recently told me girls, especially those who play basketball and/or soccer, are the group most prone to ACL injuries.

 

[outofplace]

Line in that story confused me.
It says that the "old belief" was that boys suffered ACL tears more than girls. However, after tearing my left ACL (I later tore the right) in 1996, the doctor told me that girls were more prone to the injury because of how their hips and knees were alligned.

A leading orthopedic surgeon recently told me girls, especially those who play basketball and/or soccer, are the group most prone to ACL injuries.

True, but how old was that "belief" that boys were more prone to ACL injuries? The fact that it happens much more often to girls, particularly in basketball and soccer, is not new.

 

[Barsuk]

Line in that story confused me.
It says that the "old belief" was that boys suffered ACL tears more than girls. However, after tearing my left ACL (I later tore the right) in 1996, the doctor told me that girls were more prone to the injury because of how their hips and knees were alligned.

A leading orthopedic surgeon recently told me girls, especially those who play basketball and/or soccer, are the group most prone to ACL injuries.

True, but how old was that "belief" that boys were more prone to ACL injuries? The fact that it happens much more often to girls, particularly in basketball and soccer, is not new.

Right, and I don't know the answer to that. Judging from MU's experience, at least one orthopedist has believed for at least 12 years that girls were more susceptible.

 

[outofplace]

Line in that story confused me.
It says that the "old belief" was that boys suffered ACL tears more than girls. However, after tearing my left ACL (I later tore the right) in 1996, the doctor told me that girls were more prone to the injury because of how their hips and knees were alligned.

A leading orthopedic surgeon recently told me girls, especially those who play basketball and/or soccer, are the group most prone to ACL injuries.

True, but how old was that "belief" that boys were more prone to ACL injuries? The fact that it happens much more often to girls, particularly in basketball and soccer, is not new.

Right, and I don't know the answer to that. Judging from MU's experience, at least one orthopedist has believed for at least 12 years that girls were more susceptible.

I remember hearing about it a little bit when I was covering women's basketball in college in the early '90s. That was before the women's basketball dream team and the U.S. winning the the World Cup in women's soccer, so the interest in women's basketball and soccer wasn't as high as it is now.

 

[sportschick]

I think nowadays that women/girls are more prone to ACL tears is pretty common knowledge. There's also research coming out that shows females are more likely to tear their ACL during their periods, which may be part of why we're so much more prone to it (in addition to the fact our bottom halves are put together very differently)

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Women are much more likely to tear their anterior cruciate ligaments. Reports claim that they are four to six times more likely to suffer the injury than their male counterparts.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

Like I said, I think it's been common knowledge for a long, long time. That's why I was curious about the line in the Times' story pointing to the opposite.

 

[Boom_70]

This was one of those "And so what now" stories". Is the Times suggesting that kids should just sit on the sofa and play with their x-box.

Article provided little context. How about some statistics about more girls playing organized sports or comparisons of bike accident injuries.

 

[goalmouth]

And the author's name - Gina Kolata - is a hoot.

She's been covering health issues for the Times for years, you meathead.

 

[Football_Bat]

And the author's name - Gina Kolata - is a hoot.

She's been covering health issues for the Times for years, you meathead.

If she didn't like getting caught in the rain ... she wouldn't slip and blow her knee out.

 

[CollegeJournalist]

I wrote a story on the increasing amount of arm injuries in baseball a year or two ago, and this was the prevailing theory from orthopedics:

The growing epidemic of ligament and tendon damage in athletics today is partially due to the superior conditioning of today's athletes. They push themselves to physical limits that athletes in past generations just didn't reach, and their bodies simply can't keep up.

Increasing muscle mass puts stress on ligaments and tendons. That's obvious. But with the growth of the high-intensity circuit training that emphasizes quickness, the bigger muscles are moving faster, making athletes move faster, and it creates a perfect storm for ligament damage.

Athletes are supernatural, in a way. Their bodies aren't built to withstand the pressure and intensity that athletes put them through.

 

[Boom_70]

I wrote a story on the increasing amount of arm injuries in baseball a year or two ago, and this was the prevailing theory from orthopedics:

The growing epidemic of ligament and tendon damage in athletics today is partially due to the superior conditioning of today's athletes. They push themselves to physical limits that athletes in past generations just didn't reach, and their bodies simply can't keep up.

Increasing muscle mass puts stress on ligaments and tendons. That's obvious. But with the growth of the high-intensity circuit training that emphasizes quickness, the bigger muscles are moving faster, making athletes move faster, and it creates a perfect storm for ligament damage.

Athletes are supernatural, in a way. Their bodies aren't built to withstand the pressure and intensity that athletes put them through.

Great job but what does that have to do with this story. Most 10 - 12 year olds are not yet developing muscle mass or training in the manner which you mention.

 

[CollegeJournalist]

If the kid is doing squats at 12 years old, he's stressing his body in a way it isn't ready for.

 

[Boom_70]

If the kid is doing squats at 12 years old, he's stressing his body in a way it isn't ready for.

That is not consistant with what you wrote in your previous post.

 

[CollegeJournalist]

Not sure I'm following you, Boom.

If a 12-year-old is doing squats, he's already building muscle mass a 12-year-old body probably isn't equipped to handle.

My first post was more about the epidemic of serious injuries from the high school level and above, not necessarily geared toward the injuries in youth sports. Other than the fact that AAU and year-round leagues are probably putting a toll on their bodies that they just aren't ready for, I don't know of any explanation for why kids are tearing ligaments that early.

 

[Boom_70]

Not sure I'm following you, Boom.

If a 12-year-old is doing squats, he's already building muscle mass a 12-year-old body probably isn't equipped to handle.

My first post was more about the epidemic of serious injuries from the high school level and above, not necessarily geared toward the injuries in youth sports. Other than the fact that AAU and year-round leagues are probably putting a toll on their bodies that they just aren't ready for, I don't know of any explanation for why kids are tearing ligaments that early.

Well that was my point- the Times story was about athletes 12 and under tearing their ACL.

You did not say but my sense was that your story had to do with older athletes. Now you have confirmed.

Most kids 12 and under are not yet developing a lot of muscle mass.

I think what is happening is that youger athletes are playing more games at a higher level and the odds for injury go up. I would not label it repetitive motion injury though.

Training is tricky some would say that better conditioned athletes would be less suseptable to injury.

 

[Armchair_QB]

I wrote a story on the increasing amount of arm injuries in baseball a year or two ago, and this was the prevailing theory from orthopedics:

The growing epidemic of ligament and tendon damage in athletics today is partially due to the superior conditioning of today's athletes. They push themselves to physical limits that athletes in past generations just didn't reach, and their bodies simply can't keep up.

Increasing muscle mass puts stress on ligaments and tendons. That's obvious. But with the growth of the high-intensity circuit training that emphasizes quickness, the bigger muscles are moving faster, making athletes move faster, and it creates a perfect storm for ligament damage.

Athletes are supernatural, in a way. Their bodies aren't built to withstand the pressure and intensity that athletes put them through.

Dads trying to teach Johnny how to throw a slider at age 9 have a lot to do with those arm injuries. Kids shouldn't be throwing breaking balls at that age.