Jags 1st rd pick helped off field

Originally posted by SaksV:

Originally posted by IHATELOWELLCOHN:
How come torn ACL's seem to happen so much more frequently nowadays? Anybody think HGH or steroids have anything to do with it?

This is a really good question and it's one that has been brought up in some of my meetings at work. The majority opinion is that simply put, human beings are not built to do some of the extreme cutting and leaping that these pro athletes do. As the years have gone by and diets have become even more advanced, players are getting bigger and faster. This influences sports to train their athletes even more intensely with an increased emphasis on change of direction. This has in my opinion lead to an increase in ACL injuries because of the extreme wear and strain with each advanced drill or movement.

Being a former Kinesiology major, you are on the ball. There is a theory that athletes are training to be so much bigger and powerful nowadays, that they're actually pushing their physiques beyond anatomical/evolutionary limits.

Now, all-of-a-sudden we have athletes going beyond what they are genetically designed to do, and their ligaments and tendons simply cannot withstand the structure. Combine that with the high-impact of plyometrics, full-contact drills, running, tackling, and constant wear-and-tear and now you have unstable structures being pushed even further.

Moral-of-the-story: People like Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott are alltime-greats for a reason -- not everyone has the capacity to train as rigorously as they could, even if one wanted to.