What does an ACL really cost? The financial and intangible costs to players and families
Author note: Part I of 2 part article. Next Up — Balancing the Books: Effective ACL Prevention Is the Job of Every Coach I cautioned Katherine about the incidence of ACL injuries in athletic girls whose knees tended to fold inwards when they jumped and landed as hers did. The 8th grade basketball and lacrosse phenom […]
How Young is Too Young to Recruit for College Soccer?
Does anyone really think that committing to college soccer as a middle schooler is a good idea? Yet, this is where we are, and it’s getting a lot of attention. The most recent announcement comes from Haley Berg, who verbally committed (as an eighth grader) to play for the University of Texas Longhorns in the fall of 2017, […]
Taking Action Against Concussions: 8 Things You Can Do with Your Team Right Now
Concussions are a terribly important issue in sports today. You’ll get no argument from me. I came into the conversation early digging up the facts and shaking out the recommendations. Read my investigations here: Concussions: Not Just a Bump on the Head Concussions: What Parents, Coaches and Players Can Do The conclusions: We need to […]
Concussion Roulette: Unload That Gun
Finally! Some attention for women soccer players and concussions! Briana Scurry’s surgery and recovery are front page news in the Washington Post. The good news: Briana is experiencing relief from the concussion symptoms she has endured for several years. The bad news: We are still confused about what a concussion is. Post reporter Caitlin Dewey writes, […]
ACL Repair: Get the Best Surgeon, Be Patient
Did you hear that Robert Griffin III had knee surgery? Good grief. They even prepared an animated look at ACL reconstruction for the Monday night football audience. Of course, it was all cleaned up. No blood or gore. Not the sounds of drills or hammers or screws or suction. But, in real life and real […]
Pain AND Gain: On the Edge of Injury AND Glory
I got to spend my mornings last week with the First Ladies of soccer, the Washington Spirit. I have never seen that kind of soccer quite so up close and personal. These women are phenomenal. Just standing by, I can hardly believe the power and accuracy and quickness of their ball drills and their small-sided […]
The Key to Successful ACL Injury Prevention
Looking at the numbers of ACL tears and “revisions” – that’s a nice way to say re-tears – it is very clear this an injury we want to prevent. At all costs. The question is, can we? Sportsmetrics (Hewett in Ohio) and the PEP program (Santa Monica, CA) say YES. These groups have done solid […]
ACL Recovery and Return to Sport
If you are 4-6 months post ACL surgery and your doctor tells you it’s okay to return to play ask him/her this: “how do you know I am ready?” According to Dr. Tim Hewett, 85% of the doctors making this call are using no clinical data to make the decision. That is, they are looking […]
Washington Spirit’s Ali Krieger Inspires After ACL Repair
“Soccer or Basketball?” That’s all I need to ask the girl at the gym. She looks about 16 and she’s got a 4 inch vertical scar down the middle of her left knee. She’s newly post ACL surgery. That goes without saying. “Soccer,” she says. She tore it on Halloween but “just had surgery in […]
Washington Spirit Humbled in the Face of UVA Onslaught
It was a cold and windy night at the Maryland Sportsplex. The first night I could make it out for one of the DC Spirit’s pre-season games. Free tickets online. No excuse not to go, except for the drive and the family schedule. That landed me there on Saturday night, the last game before the […]