How the hell can Jamal Anderson keep tearing his acls? Both were torn on plays where he wasnt even touched. I know the mechanisms for such and injury but how can the body not be stronger than that. Do yall think he just has a gross muscular imbalance?
It would be nice to know what he did for weight training prior to this season; perhaps a lot of machine work, as prescribed by some lab-coat stamp-collector?
All the perfect training in the world can’t stop NFL players from getting injured. It seems that the larger and stronger a player is, the more tired he gets in the game and the more likely he is to get injured. I think the bigger guys have to pull up on plays just not to hurt them selves. When you watch the big veterans, they seem to have a real economy of motion. Guys like Bruce Smith and Mathews (guard for Tenesse) move fast and then trail off at the end of plays when they are out of it (very close to dogging it, but not quite). Jim Brown was probably the best at this, he was a fireball until he got taken down and then he took forever getting back to the huddle, recovering every chance he got.
I understand your point but Jamal Anderson was hurt on plays were he wasnt even touched. He was making a cut on grass. Hes knees should be strong enough to handle that.
Too much mass on a fairly small frame. Jamal is an animal. He is about 245 of pure muscle but only about 5 foot 10 inches tall. I just think the ligaments are the weakest link in this case.
I would just say that some things w/ACLs can’t be totally explained…Example: I went to play D3 hoops in ‘96 and I was definitely in the best shape of my life before I went to school. I had gained a ton of FF mass and my speed and vertical were amazing (was only 5’11’ 175 at the time), and on the first play of the first practice on the first day of school i blew out my left ACL and lateral and medial meniscus. Why? I don’t know, I was shocked bc i had never had anything more than an ankle sprain. And then in '99, while playing again, I tore the same damn ACL and lateral and medial meniscus. So it isn’t a matter of dogging it or anything but some people are just genetically disposed to it. I saw this bc I have torn mine twice, my sister tore hers once, my dad tore his in his 20s and didn’t know he did til 2 yrs ago, my uncle tore his in his 20s, and my grandmother has had a total knee replacement. Thats just something to think about. Oh yeah, did anyone think that maybe Jamal was trying to overcompensate in his mind and use his right leg a little more bc he was conscious about his surgically repaired left one?
i feel bad for jamal. good player. i have a feeling his career will be over since he just became 100% with his previous injuries.
Hey, Coach…any thoughts on this one? Jamal is a young, workout ANIMAL. Colin and Skyvue bring up some interesting points. 1)Can an athelete get “too” big and fast for his underlying support structures? and 2)I would imagine that if you do “favor” an injury, there could be trouble down the line. Your thoughts? Mufasa
I am not talking about getting too big too fast, what I am talking about is that the force generated on the football field is huge and it hurts. When you plant your cleet on turf it is more secure that you might think. Basket ball players get injured more than any other non contact athletes (I read that somewhere) because of force at their feet, it is worse in football. There are no pads that can secure your knee in three dimensions, it is only good or one, and a limited range of it at that. Little guys get crushed by the impact and big guys hurt themselves with thier own mass and force. When you see a guy like Jerome Bettis or Jim Brown their durability is as impresive as thier athletic ability.
colin: I THINK that we are wondering the same thing. FORCE is a function of mass and acceleration. Take a young, huge and fast guy like Jamal…have him running top speed then plant that leg…that energy is dissipated in some way. The same with the basketball players. So, I probably stated it wrong; not “too big too fast” BUT “too big AND fast” for underlying support structures to support such drastic changes in velocity/mass inertia. Something has to give…
I was lucky enough to have one of the best sports medicine guys in the US reconstruct my ACL. When I asked him how long until it would be as strong as the original his answer was, “It will be as strong as or stronger than the original within a couple years.” So, you can perform PT like a maniac and be in great shape but it takes time. Even with heavy rehabilitation it took me a year before I could handle heavy squat poundages with good form. Also remember, teams try get their players back in the game as soon as possible regardless of the effect on their longevity/career. Jerry Rice is another example.
your points are quite possibly but my first reaction was similar to “JavaGuru’s” superb comment of rehab time. Horrible seeing this young man go down again. In faith, Coach Davies
A reconstructed ACL is actually at its strongest immediately after the surgery. the unfortunate circumstance is that there are other inflammatory and mechanical factors which prevent immediate return to sport. the “new” ACL must then go through a period of revascularization. It used to be part of the patellar tendon and due to relocation the revascularization takes time … a lot of time. After about 12 weeks you can have a very strong athlete without inflammatory symptoms but you will have a very weak ACL. It doesn’t matter whether someone is the greatest physical specimen on the outside. Mechanical stresses applied to ligaments can be tremendous and all ligaments are NOT created equal within an individual or among a group. Chalk it up to bad luck and choice of sport. Not to mention the scourge of artifial turf. We can send a man to the moon and back but can’t grow decent grass indoors.(?)
I thought he injured it while playing on grass this time… Just to add to what you said, apparently a small, but significant percentage of those who go through reconstructive ACL surgery have growth of fibrous soft tissue. The condition is called arthrofibrosis. Basically, all this tissue get in the way and cause painful impingements. Cutting them away only causes more to grow back. Apparently this happens more to men than women. Also, it appears to happen with greater frequency if the surgery is performed too soon after the injury. That is why doctors will often wait a couple of weeks before performing surgery. Just some additional random info.–Hyok
There are a number of other factors that predispose one to ACL injury. The ability to hyperextend your knee to any degree at all puts you at high risk for an ACL tear, for example. I am coming up on one year after my own ACL reconstruction and even at this time my knee is no where near “normal.” A person might be able to deceive himself into thinking that he was 100% because the musculature comes back much faster than tendon and connective tissue. A person might even have full strength back at three months or less. However, there is a world of difference between squatting a very heavy weight in a slow and controlled fashion and cutting or pivoting at high speed. The best thing you can do to prevent ACL injuries is keep your hamstrings very strong (they are an ACL antagonist) but sometimes I think unpreventable accidents occur.