A recent study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine indicates that most soccer players who suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the knee were able to fully recover and return to their pre-injury status.
The researchers contacted 100 soccer players who had ACL repair srugery to see if full return to soccer activity had occurred after the surgery. Forty-two men and 30 women who had had ACL repair surgery had returned to their previous level of soccer participation.
Women and those who were older at the time of inury were most likely not to return to their previous level of soccer. The results also indicated that 12 of the 100 athletes studies required ACL surgery again, with 9 having injured their opposite knee, and 3 suffering re-injury to their previously repaired ACL.
If you have had an ACL injury and require surgery, work hard in physical therapy to regain your normal function. Chances are you will be able to return to your previous level of function, especially if you regain full strength and range of motion in the muscles supporting the knee.
