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FEATURE
7
DEALING WITH INJURIES
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
After two Jayhawks tore their ACLs during this basketball season, The Wave takes a look at what can be done to prevent what is commonly a season-ending injury
By Clark Goble
cgoble@kansan.com
The second time women's basketball player Katie Smith tore the anterior crucial ligament in her knee, she couldn't hear the rubber band-like snapping like she did in high school.
Kansas State's crowd was too loud, energized because the rival Jayhawks were in town. Smith had been on the floor for less than a minute. The sole of her shoe stuck on the court while she was sliding on defense, but the knee kept going.
"Regardless of all the training, regardless of all the measures you take not to get hurt, it happens," Smith said. "It was very frustrating, especially because it's such a long recovery."
The results of a study conducted by the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh might help athletes like Smith avoid ACL injuries. After evaluating athletes' jumping and landing techniques with a short test, researchers were able to identify the athletes at risk for ACL injuries. After twelve training sessions, no athletes were at risk.
The women's basketball team has been ravaged by the injury in the past two seasons. Three players in the last two years have seen their seasons ended by an unlucky step. Angel Goodrich tore the ACL in her left knee in 2008 and her right knee in 2009. Danielle McCray, Kansas' go-to scorer who was drafted by the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA, tore her ACL in her left knee in a practice in February.
Smith, an exercise science major who played for Kansas from 2005-2009, said the team's strength coaches took measures to avoid the injury.
Dr. Greg Barnhill, an orthopedic surgeon for the North Kansas City Hospital who has been performing surgeries on ACLs since 1979, said that the biological differences between men and women help account for the higher rate of ACL injuries among
"I think it's definitely important to do basic training," Smith said. "I've been an elite athlete and it still happened to me. Any female athlete needs to know about it and know how to train, how to jump and how to land."
women. The dimensions in the knee are smaller. The angle between the hip bone and the femur is greater.
But Barnhill thinks the biggest difference is simple to ascertain.
"All you have to do is watch women play," Barnhill said. "Watch women play basketball and watch men play basketball. Watch women play soccer. Watch men play soccer. And you can see the difference. Women don't have as strong of legs as men."
Barnhill said that a major problem in the overall rate of ACL injuries in athletes is that coaches don't realize that some of their drills can put unnecessary pressure on athletes' knee.
"Our trainers and our therapists and people like me are telling them, 'Wait a minute, you got to check these people' and the coach will go, 'Oh really?' Barnhill said.
Barnhill said preemptive training would help, especially if it teaches the athlete to bend at the knees more. He said it is almost impossible for an athlete to tear an ACL if they bend their knees properly.
Sportsmetrics is a group of doctors and researchers in Cincinnati that studies ACL injuries in female athletes and outlines training methods to prevent the injury. According to Stephanie Smith, a research associate at Sportsmetrics, female athletes are 2-10 times as likely to tear an ACL than male athletes. One out of every 100 high school female athletes will suffer a serious knee injury.
"It's clear that our training methods limit these kind of catastrophic injuries," Smith said.
Katie Smith did training developed by Sportsmetrics in high school, but she said that it's not always easy to maintain the jumping technique she learned.
"When you're in competition and you're not focusing on it and your body's tired, you can resort to old habits."Smith said.
Dr. Sam Akhaven, the leader of the study at Allegheny General Hospital, said that the training is producing other benefits.
"Our goal with this program is to reduce the incidence of ACL tears, but what we are also seeing is a significant improvement in sports performance
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Senior guard Danielle McCray goes up for a layup during a game this season. McCray was recently drafted by the Connecticut Sun.
measures, such as vertical jump, quickness and explosiveness," Akhavan said.
Barnhill said that the increased concern for limiting ACL injuries among athletes will only help it develop. More and more trainers will learn the necessary information and help athletes recognize the physical problems with their athletic movements.
"It's come a long ways," Barnhill said.
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE WAVE APRIL 28,2010
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