Sep 8, 2008 12:25 pm US/Eastern
ACL Injuries End Seasons, But Not Careers
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
-
-
Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots is assesed by the medical staff after he sustained an injury to his left knee in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium September 7, 2008 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
Getty Images
Poll
How many games will the Pats win with Tom Brady done for the year?
You need the latest Flash player to view our Poll.
Click here to download.
Click here to
bypass this detection if you already
have the latest Flash Player.
The idea of
Tom Brady being out of the
Patriots lineup for the rest of the season is heartbreaking, but fans should rest easy knowing that he'll most likely be back.
As WBZ's Dan Roche reported,
Brady suffered a torn ACL during the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Kansas City when Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard hit the star QB on the side of his left knee.
When Patriots Nation heard the news of Brady's torn ACL, hearts stopped… What about the rest of the season? What will happen to Brady?
Although there is a good chance Brady will be out for the rest of the 2008 season, like many other quarterbacks before him, this may just be a speed bump.
WHAT IS AN ACL? An
ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the four ligaments that connect the bones of the knee joint.
The ACL connects the thigh bone to the shin bone and provides stability to the knee and limits the rotational movements of the knee.
A ligament is a dense structure made up of tissue that stabilizes a joint.
An ACL can be injured if the knee is bent backward, twisted or bent side to side. Brady was hit on the side of the knee.
Symptoms of an ACL injury include pain on the outside or the back of the knee, sudden swelling, limited knee movement and knee wobbling or buckling.
HOW DO YOU TREAT AN ACL INJURY?
"Mild to moderate tears to the ACL can often be treated by immobilizing the knee, treating with inflammatory medications and physical therapy," explains WBZ's Dr. Mallika Marshall.
But for more severe tears and elite athletes, surgery is often recommended. During surgery, doctors reconstruct the ligament.
According to Dr. Mallika, this kind of surgery can take between three months to a year to recover from.
BRADY IS NOT ALONE.
There have been a number of
NFL quarterbacks that have suffered from a torn ACL and have been back in the lineup for the next season.
Philip Rivers, the starting quarterback from the
San Diego Chargers, tore the ACL in his right knee during a playoff game last season and famously played the
AFC Championship game against the Patriots with that injury before having surgery in January.
He bounced back and was in the Chargers' starting lineup for the 2008 season.
Donovan McNabb, the starting quarterback for the
Philadelphia Eagles, tore the ACL in his right knee during the 2006 season. He was out for the rest of the season, but was back for the 2007 season.
Carson Palmer, the starting quarterback for the
Cincinnati Bengals, has torn knee ligaments several times, including an ACL injury and a dislocated kneecap in the 2005-2006 season playoffs. He had surgery in January 2006 and was back in time for the start of the next season.
Former
Chicago Bears starting quarterback
Rex Grossman and Tampa
Bay's backup quarterback
Luke McCown also suffered torn ACLs. Both players took a full season to recover, but were back for the start of the new season.
Patriots safety
Rodney Harrison also suffered a torn ACL,
PCL and MCL at the start of the
2005 season. He went on to play 10 games during the 2006 season.
In other sports,
Tiger Woods tore his left ACL, but did not get surgery right away. Instead, he tried to play through the pain. In June, he bowed out of the rest of the PGA season to
undergo surgery to repair the ligament.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments