![]() However, because their performance is less tied to lower body speed and explosiveness, 12 out of the 13 of NFL quarterbacks studied after ACL surgeries were able to resume playing at pre-injury levels. In the NFL, like other sports, a lasting return to play is also influenced by the player’s pre-injury position – 20% of running backs and wide receivers never return to the NFL and for those that do return, performance drops by a third. One recent study found that ACL injured players in the NFL earned $2,070,521 less than their uninjured peers over the four years after injury. In the NFL, without guaranteed contracts, players are pressured into returning to the field, often before fully ready. Though known for his work ethic and drive, he will face a greater challenge in returning to pre-injury levels of performance after an injury to his rear batting leg.ĭespite the importance of the internal factors in recovery from ACL injuries – attributes like strength, coordination, mobility and muscle function – outside influences frequently play a significant role. Knowing these stats, it will be interesting to observe Adam Eaton’s return to the Nationals next year. Much like the bump in performance frequently seen after Tommy John surgery, the researchers speculated that the rehab program might have benefited the non-surgical leg, resulting in improved strength and performance. Oddly, those who had surgery for a lead leg injury had a 6% increase in batting average in the season after the injury. ![]() ![]() For MLB position players, an injury to the rear batting leg – the side that generates swing power – resulted in a 12% decline in batting average. “Because most of the running in baseball is in a straight line, without any unplanned changes in direction (the bases aren’t moving and the ball doesn’t change mid-flight), the recovery from ACL injury for a baseball player is probably the most straightforward,” says Aune, an injury researcher at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama.īut even in a sport where most are able to return, performance can be affected. With the highest rate of return to play in professional sports, nine out of 10 MLB players will return to the field after an ACL injury. “Anything that elicits landing, cutting and pivoting is a greater challenge.” “It comes down to how much strain you put on the knee joint,” says Dr Tim Hewett, a Mayo Clinic researcher and an expert on the mechanics of ACL injury. “The differences are related to the physical requirements of not only each sport, but position on the field or court as well,” says Kyle Aune, author of ACL return-to-play research in the NFL and MLB.īecause they require high-speed changes of direction, the pro sports that carry the highest risk of ACL tears – soccer, football and basketball – are also the ones in which it’s most difficult to make a complete recovery. Recovery time and post-surgery performance depends both on sport and position. While most do return, future performance is still hazy.
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