The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) has been holding its annual meeting throughout this week in Seattle. A number of studies as well as significant research have been presented, including much on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which are common among today's athletes.
According to the AOSSM, there are approximately 150,000 ACL injuries that occur each year in the United States, amassing costs in excess of $500 million. 70% of those injuries occur when an athlete pivots, cuts, sidesteps, or lands awkwardly, while 30% occur from contact with other players. Football, basketball, and soccer players possess an increased risk for such injuries.
Although they have become an epidemic, experts in the field believe medicine is shifting in the direction to help improve procedures and rehabilitations to better treat the ACL injuries. On Thursday, doctors presented a study at the AOSSM conference in Seattle that found early ACL surgeries are beneficial for young athletes and actually help them avoid a re-injury. If surgery is put off after sustaining an ACL tear, one might be at a higher risk to suffer another setback or injury.
"While parents and other caregivers have obvious reasons for concern over ACL surgery in young patients, it's important to recognize when it may be beneficial," said Dr. Allen F. Anderson, lead author of the study and member of the Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance, in this Reuters news article. "If surgery now helps eliminate long-term knee problems, it's certainly a good choice."
Doctors previously believed it was prudent to delay such surgeries for kids and to wait until their bones matured to avoid disturbing leg growth, but Anderson found that waiting too long actually results in recurrent instability, meniscal damage, damage to the lining of the bone, or degenerative changes. He and his colleagues reviewed 135 records of athletes with an average age of 14 who had ACL reconstruction. Those who were treated six to 12 weeks after their injury were 45% more likely to have a lateral meniscus injury and four times more likely to have a medial meniscus tear, compared to those who had it treated in under six weeks.
Another study, from lead author, Christopher C. Kaeding, MD of the Ohio State University, found that the identification and education of modifiable risk factors may minimize one's chances of suffering a second ACL injury. In analyzing 2,695 patients with such injuries from 2002-2008, he and his team found that age, activity level and type of graft utilized may point to the possibility of re-injury.
"The study highlights that younger age, higher activity levels at time of injury and what type of graft used (allograft) may increase risk of same side ACL injury within two years. With individuals having higher activity levels and lower age re-tears on the opposite leg were more prominent," said Kaeding in this EurekAlert! news release.
This is good news for the world of sports, including athletes, coaches, parents, team owners, athletic trainers, team doctors, and any others who experience these injuries and are affected by them in some way.
You can read more about ACL surgeries in this Science 2.0 article.
