Ever wonder why some athletes recover from ACL tears better than others?

I have no idea if this is the right board (or if anybody here even GAF ), but I thought I'd pass this along since it does have a significant sports connection:

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Two knee surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have provided the first full anatomical description of a previously enigmatic ligament in the human knee. The ligament appears to play an important role in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.

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Their research shows that the ligament, called the anterolateral ligament (ALL), was noted to be present in all but one of the 41 cadaveric knees studied. Subsequent research shows that pivot shift, the giving way of the knee in patients with an ACL tear, is caused by an injury in the ALL ligament.

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The research questions current medical thinking about serious ACL injuries and could signal a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with serious ACL injuries. Dr Claes and Professor Bellemans are currently working on a surgical technique to correct ALL injuries.

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Maybe this explains why AP was able to keep his explosiveness (his ACL injury left a relatively intact ALL) while others have more problems regaining that explosiveness and cutting ability? Maybe we will reach a new age where ACL injuries will no longer be viewed as "career threatening?" Maybe DRose didn't just have a bruised vagina? Still alot of questions remain, but the NFL should pour alot of money into this research IMO




LINK