The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) connects the thighbone (femur) to the shinbone (tibia) and is one of the essential ligaments in stabilizing the knee joint. It prevents the tibia from sliding too far forward and offers rotational stability to control and limit twisting movements.
“ACL are reported to occur in 250,000 individuals per year…ACL ruptures constitute about 80% of all sports-related knee injuries…Recent studies have shown an increase in ACL injuries among adolescents, with an average annual increase of 2.3% in ACL tears over the past twenty years,” according to Science Direct.
It affects players of all ages and competition levels, but there has been a significant increase among younger athletes. This is due to several factors that include overtraining, improper conditioning, poor technique, hormone fluctuation, and puberty.
“The average time for an ACL tear to heal after surgery is nine to 12 months, and you’re six times more likely to have a second ACL injury once you’ve had one ACL injury…” according to Northwestern Medicine.
ACL injuries are devastating, but unfortunately very common. Tearing an ACL is one of the most serious injuries an athlete can endure and often requires reconstructive surgery and several months of rehabilitation.
“I tore my left ACL in a soccer game at the end of May this year. Initially I was really stressed out because I wasn’t sure what I did to my knee, I knew my knee wasn’t normal but I didn’t know I tore it so I continued to play and tore my meniscus too and couldn’t have surgery until early August,” said Isabella Soria (11).
The risk of retearing an ACL on either the same or opposite knee is much greater and more likely than the initial tear, especially for young athletes returning to intense competitive levels of play. Women are much more prone to this particular injury than men due to differences in their anatomy, biomechanics, and hormones.
“…women tear the ACL two to eight times more frequently than men,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
The mental and emotional impact of ACL tears often go overlooked. Student-athletes are not only sidelined from their sport, but suffer significant psychological, social, physical, and financial repercussions.
“I wish people understood how hard the process is and how once you start walking again, it doesn’t mean you’re automatically better. I now see my sport as a risk you take every time with your body because of how easy it is to get injured,” said Soria.
Many athletes experience feelings of hopelessness, isolation, and frustration. They may also believe that they lost a part of their identity because many athletes tie their self-worth to sports, and the severity of this tear forces them to confront a new reality leaving them only to be a shadow of their formal self.
The hardest part is having to wake up everyday knowing that the season continues on without you. The laughter, adrenaline, and noise from sports are stripped from them and replaced by the silence of laying in their bed overwhelmed by the countless, conflicting emotions.
Injured players have to watch from the sidelines as practices, games, and team growth resumes. They are surrounded by so many, yet feel completely isolated.
For me, it is so beyond difficult to work up the strength and go to lacrosse. At soccer, I still can not bring myself to go to practice, games, see my teammates, or even watch the sport online.
“Recovery has been slow and underwhelming. The hardest part has been not being able to work out as much as I used to. It’s affected my life by making me more sedentary and less active. I used to always be working out and playing sports, but now I kind of have nothing to do as much. I feel unmotivated a lot because I don’t know if I’ll play the same,” said Soria.
Upperclassmen bear an additional weight considering that missing junior or senior year can greatly jeopardize college recruitment, leadership opportunities, and depriving them from that sense of closure athletes encounter before graduation.
At the same time, children as young as ten or even younger have torn their ACLs. They are now required to undergo such a traumatic and invasive procedure when their bodies have barely begun to develop.
This can hinder their overall development since they can experience problems and issues with growth alignment since their growth plates are active, causing a shorter active life, deformities, osteoarthritis, and risk additional injuries.
Even after rehabilitation, there are lifelong consequences. The majority of patients can develop arthritis, chronic pain, stiffness, or limited movement that goes into adulthood. It is not only a sports injury, but a life injury. It will never be the same knee again and changes how you walk, how you move, and even how we trust ourselves, questioning if you can rely on your leg just to go down the stairs.
“Honestly I feel like schools and their athletic programs don’t prioritize emotional sides of injuries and forget that athletes struggle with that,” said Soria.
Many, including schools and athletic programs, overlook or neglect the mental recovery that emerges from physical injuries. These entities should prioritize cultivating available resources and programs for student-athletes to feel encouraged and understand, regulate, and express their feelings in a healthy manner.
“When recovery is slow and frustrating some days I usually try to think of the positives and find silver linings…I’m mostly looking forward to playing with my teammates again. I have also talked to other athletes who are or have gone through the same thing and it makes me feel less alone,” said Soria.
“I still go to games and practices, it’s hard watching my teammates do the things I can’t do now, but my teammates always hype me up and are positive, trying not to bring up how I can’t play. My coaches tell me that I’ll get through it and be okay,” said Soria.
Having a strong support system is crucial for these athletes during such a pivotal and emotionally challenging transformation of their lives, especially at such a young age. By acknowledging the negative mental toll that may arise, athletes can feel seen, supported, and validated which ultimately helps an athlete heal entirely.
“I’ve learned that I’m not only defined by the sport I play, but rather by the person who I choose to be. I would say to take this as a break for you to slow down and truly discover who you are without your sport,” said Soria.
Despite the destructive nature of ACL tears, many athletes have found comfort and a silver lining by taking this as a chance to recuperate, reflect, and rebuild their strength and identity, knowing that they are much more than the number on the back of their jersey. An injury does not have to define or destroy an athlete, but it presents them with the unique opportunity for personal growth and the ability to persevere and come back stronger than ever before.
