This post is going to discuss what happens after you tear a ligament in your knee a few years later. This article talks about what happens to your body after you tear a ligament and what to expect to occur 10 years later. I have some questions to help you along, but let me know what you think as well.
Are there genetic factors that lead to ACL tears?
Should doctors be more transparent about being predisposed to arthritis post ACL injury in children?
Should parents wait to introduce children to sports later in life to prevent these injuries from occurring?
In the article it says there could be a genetic factor that lead to ACL tears due to family members having arthritis but in my personal opinion I don't think that's the case. I feel like there are many reasons why and how someone can tear their ACL. I like to say my ACL tear was a freak accident because of the way that it happened. My family genetically hasn't had any form of arthritis and surprisingly I'm the only one in my family that has torn any type of ligament associated with the knees. I do feel like doctors do have the responsibilities to tell their patients want will happen later on in life after having recognition on ACL tears. I know that my doctor didn't mention having arthritis when I'm older until my second appointment after having surgery. Which I think would have been more beneficial for me to know that while going through the surgery process. But also a doctor doesn't have to focus on that point because it will happen later on in someone’s life who tore their ACL. I say this because either way when you tear your ACL, you’ll have to get reconstruction anyways. I don’t think that parents should wait till their children are older to play sports because I feel like that will just let the child more then if they played a sport when their young. I feel like starting them off young they will gain strength which will help out a lot in the long run.
ReplyDeleteThere for sure is a genetic factor that has a hand in ACL tears, genetics may give a person a slightly weakened knee that no matter how much work they put in to try and strengthen the knee if the knee twist just right it is still gonna tear and it might have the start of microtears caused by genetics or previous wear and tear. Doctors should definitely be way more transparent about the possibility of arthritis in the future. If it is around a 50% chance of it happening doctors should try harder to warn their patients about what could be happening in their patients somewhat near future. Parents should not wait to introduce their children to athletics because if they wait then their child’s body will not be at the same level physically as other athletes putting the underdeveloped athlete at an even more risk for example; say an athlete that is underdeveloped goes in for a tackle on a soccer ball against an athlete who has been playing since they were in elementary school. The underdeveloped athlete is at a much higher risk for overall injury because they may not know proper technique or be as strong.
ReplyDeleteYes, if you have a family history of knee injury then you could genetically be at higher risk of tearing an ACL. My mom's side of the family is all small framed tiny people all under 5'6 and they have arthritis, but my dad's side of the family genes are all 6 feet and taller big body people. They both played sports in college and my mom didn't ever injury her knee but my dad tore his ACL in football his freshman year of college. There are other factors that go into tearing an ACL whether it be chronic overuse, playing the same sport doing the same leg movement all the time. Also if the sport is more high contact, grinding and punishing like football. I personally have always wondered how people tear their ACL multiple times at a young age. My best preventative measures in my opinion through reading and experience is to play multiple sorts staring at a young age, lifting weights to strengthen tendons while using good form, and eating healthy. The biggest for me is to play different sports to allow your body to get used to moving the knee in different motions at high speed to decrease risk of injury. It is sad statistic that within 10 years after an ACL injury that knee arthritis can occur. I know of a girl who tore her ACL in soccer three straight years in a row and is now done playing sports for the rest of her life. If she had known about the risk of arthritis she might've taken a few years off to rehab after just one ACL injury. Her doctor should have been telling her about the risk of arthritis since she was on 19 when her first injury occurred. Knee injuries are a scary thing but my entire family has played multiple sports growing up and only one out of the five of us has ever torn an ACL, so light lifting and multiple sorts at a young age help decrease the risk of knee injury. As long as proper technique is used in all sports, as a parent, I would allow my kids to start sports at a young age.
ReplyDeleteThis article is referring to how knee ligament tears can result in arthritis down the road. There is more than a 50% chance that a person is going to get arthritis in their knee if they had a ligament tear. There is also evidence that points towards ligament tears in the knee can have some genetic factors. Doctors in this article say that they have done surgery on siblings of many different families. In this case the patient said that knowing that arthritis could be an option would not have changed his mind. However, if it were me then I would want to know that this could be an option. So, I think that doctors should be more transparent about how an athlete can be predisposed to arthritis after an ACL tear. Also, I think that the choice of introducing children to sports is up to the parents. Some ACL tears can be genetic, so it does not matter when the parents introduce a sport to their children. However, in other cases the later a child is introduced to a sport the less problems they will have in their younger years. All in all, arthritis can be a serious problem after an ACL injury.
ReplyDeleteAfter tearing your ACL it has been shown that the risk or arthritis is almost increased by 50%. Many doctors do not quite understand the reasoning behind why patients get arthritis. There are some hypotheses about it, it may be from the chemicals released by the body trying to heal itself. During a meniscal tear it could be from the bone on bone friction that caused it. It could also be after the reconstruction, the the newly placed ligament doesn't follow the original anatomy of the knee, that could also cause some problems. Some families may be predisposed to arthritis, there hasn't been a lot of research about the follow up of post-op ACL patients. Many doctors know that arthritis is common after ACL repairs, but not many patients do. Doctors don't always want to be telling young adults that the risk of them having arthritis before they’re “old” is not an easy subject, but I think that is something that as should be discussed fully. The patient should know everything that will happen in the years to come, and they need to prepare for that in any way they feel is necessary. I feel no matter how long parents wait to introduce their kids into certain sports, it will not matter, some injuries are bound to happen, no matter how long they wait, or how old they are.
ReplyDeleteWe would all like to think that if we are informed to the dangers of lifestyle activities it will keep us from doing it. Like if we are told smoking is bad and that it can cause cancer down the line then we will not smoke. Sports can have some of the same risks factors, that playing soccer can lead to a torn ACL which will eventually lead to arthritis, causing debilitating pain for the person the rest of their life. Do we listen to warnings like this? No. It is even said in the article that even if Lalli would have known the risk it would not have made much difference. The truth is that we can not keep people from doing what they love even if it means that they could be slightly disabled in their future. I wish it was that easy that people could keep their children from playing sports just to protect them later on in life, but sadly that is not their call to make. Who is to tell a child that they can not go out and play soccer with all their friends for fun. It is a sad truth, people are going to get injured and there is nothing we can do other than take preventative measures to protect them without infringing on their rights.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to ACL tears I believe that the weak strength of the ACL might be one of the main causes of ACL tears but also overuse of the ACL is another big way to get injured. ACL tears are becoming a lot more common within athletes because they are expected to push harder in their sports than they ever have before. When an athlete goes to get ACL surgery they should be notified that they will most likely be predisposed to having arthritis after they have this surgery. I believe that kids should be introduced to sports early in their life but their parents should not push them as hard to be the best they want them to be, let the kids have fun and explore there options and experiment with different sports but once they have decided they want to stick with one sport let them chose how hard they want to work towards being the best they want to be. It will be better because the child will not feel as though they are being pressured to be the best at the sport they are playing but they can work as hard as they want and still have the love and support from their families. Athletes should not be overworked because that can lead to them not wanting to play that sport anymore. In conclusion, children should not be pushed to the point to where they have the chance of tearing their ACL to fulfill there parents want of them to be the best.
ReplyDeleteAfter tearing a tendon or ligament in your knee your body will never be back to 100% again. Torn tendons and ligaments almost always lead to arthritis no matter what. In the article, Dr.Kocher said that the chance of getting arthritis ten years later after tearing a tendon or ligament is greater than 50%. This arthritis can actually occur not just in the knee. The article gives the example of how repeatedly spraining your ankle can cause arthritis in your ankle as well. In my opinion, anytime your body goes through an injury it will never be the same. Your body pays later in life for the injuries you endure in your younger life. The article also talks about how it is not proven, but research does suggest that there are genetic factors that go into injuries. I have never thought about the genetic factors being part of injuries, but it does make sense because your body would be somewhat of the same makeup as your parents. Having problems later in life also brings up the concern if playing sports at a young age is worth the risk. In my opinion, I think young kids are fine playing sports at a young age. Many young athletes play sports and never get seriously injured. Playing a sport involves taking many risks in which you have to be fine with, and arthritis is one that many of us will eventually have to deal with.
ReplyDeleteWhen you tear something, it will never be as strong as it once was, and it also puts much more pressure on the joint as compared to previously, therefore it will increase the likelihood of a long-term injury such as arthritis. This is a very important article because it is discussing, like the author calls, “a dirty little secret” that creeps up on people around 10 years after they have reconstruction surgery due to a torn ligament. Because younger kids are starting to become more involved in their sports today due to more involvement and options for year long training, it is also increasing the likelihood of injury such as torn ligaments. The numbers of reconstructed torn knee ligaments in teenagers has drastically grown in the past decade. This is an issue because that means that by early adulthood, there will be the case of the individual having to get complete knee replacement at such a young age. There are many guesses to what the reason is that causes arthritis. It’s also an issue to tell the injured individual about the long-term side effects when the athlete is more worried about worrying about the injury at hand. This is a real issue to determine with young athletes when looking at their future.
ReplyDeleteACL tears and reconstructions are such a devastating injury for any athlete to endure, it can be the worst news because they nearly always end the season for an athlete. Now, although not discussed in specifics there are genetic factors that lead to ACL tears as in most of the cases doctors would say they had several members in a family have the same ACL reconstruction. I was very unaware of this, as I was also unaware of these tendon and ligament reconstructions can often lead to arthritis later down the road. I find it crazy that this knowledge is not more widely known, although I doubt it would make much difference in the athletes getting the surgery because they want to play the sport while they still can. I could honestly say that if I had to have surgery on one of my ligaments I would, so I could continue to play the sport I love for as long as I can. Also, I do not think a parent should be allowed to prevent a child from playing any sport, even if they might have physical troubles down the road. I think kids should be able to play any sport they want to, especially if they are finding such an interest in the sport at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteReading this honestly makes me sad because I have partially torn my ACL and maybe possible meniscus and I have had pain after games or when the weather changes already. To read an article about how tearing your ACL makes you fifty percent more at risk of having arthritis is scary. I'm only 19 years old and I have three more year of college soccer under my belt. If I get injured again I'm not sure for my health if it would be smart to continue. I feel similar to the man in the article thinking about if he wants his kids to play soccer as well. I want the best for my kids and I do not want to see them hurt. Furthermore, I do think that there should maybe be some types of boundaries I set to decide to take my kids out of a sport if they are getting injured too often. I do think that there should be something said to at least the parents of these young athletes to have them know that it’s a possibility of arthritis. But I don't think that it's the doctors fault. Medicine changes and new things are learned and developed through the years. I feel like with this being more of an epidemic there should be more studies done in patients who have had ACL reconstruction and studies on who to maybe improve the proper anatomy of the patient’s knee. Also, maybe looking into why arthritis onsets in people who tear their ACLs. Sounds like a new medical innovation to me in the making.
ReplyDeleteThis article surprised me honestly because it made me think of my knee surgery and how the man said he was never told about the risk of arthritis, I was also never told about this and it honestly scares me now, thinking that I would eventually have to give up the sport I love, and even not be able to run anymore in just a short 10 or 15 years, I would only be in my 30's a young age not to be active anymore. I believe that doctors should be more upfront with this so that their people that they are giving surgery know all their risks even if they are years down the road, also I think these doctors should ask more often if they can observe these people long term more often to get more evidence and research on this topic. With knee injuries becoming more common in younger player, I don't believe that parents should hold off on keeping their kids in sports, because sports are good for kids, it gets them active and teaches them early, and so they know what they like as they are growing up and find where they fit in at an early age, instead of later in life.
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