18 Jul 2018 20:52:50
Given a lot of the discussion around fekirs historical acl injury and the news of the Ox's injury I thought I would share some info regarding recovery rates of the injuries.

A study published in the British journal of sports medicine showed 83% of elite athletes returned to pre injury sport following acl reconstruction with there being a 5% rate of graft re-rupture. Despite rupture rates being low it would still harbour some concerns amongst the medical team particularly in the event of further injuries on the same knee. By the same token this injury is no longer seen as the career ender that it used to be.

Regarding the multi ligament injury suffered by the ox, evidence would suggest recovery does not reproduce a particularly positive prognosis. A systematic review this year shows only a 22-33% return to top level sport following this kind of injury. Obviously the club and fans will be desperate for a positive outcome but given the real possibility he may not return to his current level I don't doubt the club will already be drawing up contingencies for the upcoming seasons.

I would say that having worked with some top orthopaedic consultants they would argue much more favourable outcomes with their greater concerns being long term, possible early degenerative complications in older adult life.

Apologies if this seems really doom and gloom. Brilliant positive transfer window up to now and praying for a positive recovery for the ox with whom I continue to be impressed with regards his actions and character.

Cheers.


1.) 18 Jul 2018
18 Jul 2018 20:58:29
#believe mate.


2.) 18 Jul 2018
18 Jul 2018 21:11:43
This has made me sad.


3.) 18 Jul 2018
18 Jul 2018 21:16:49
Top post greggers. thanks 👍.


4.) 18 Jul 2018
18 Jul 2018 21:30:28
I recall something like this being posted a couple weeks back, wasn’t the study done in 2004?
Apologies if this is an up to date one but if not the chances could be a lot higher now :)


5.) 18 Jul 2018
18 Jul 2018 22:06:10
Greggers do the outcomes in the study vary depending on (I) which sport is being played and (ii) the injury history of the patient?


6.) 18 Jul 2018
18 Jul 2018 22:51:03
Both studies were systematic reviews over various research papers so will have included various sports. I have seen some papers suggest returns to pre injury performance only at 60-65% in football but then spoken with consultants who suggest their results be closer to 95% so on reflection the reviews average 83% figure may not be a million miles off. Seemingly basketball players have lower returns to previous levels according to research but given the volume of jumping, pivot and impact from lunging that’s not a surprise.

I know that both reviews were carried out in the past 2 years and analysed over 20 research papers. Without reading through each paper reviewed I am not sure about the exact inclusion criteria in reference to previous medical history. To be honest I was surprised that the re-rupture rate was as low as 5%. Given how the injury continues to be perceived you would imagine this would be higher.

Cheers.


7.) 19 Jul 2018
19 Jul 2018 00:03:37
Reading that has made me feel sad for Ox if it’s as bad as that. He’s a top bloke. Genuinely felt upset reading that. Hopefully Ox can make as full a recovery and beat the odds.


8.) 19 Jul 2018
19 Jul 2018 08:29:18
Cheers greggers, appreciate you following up with a timeline and more information :) when I tried googling some kept saying 2004 so I gave up xD wasn’t searching properly I guess haha.

{Ed001's Note - just to point something out I noticed Greggers was discussing, I think the problems with basketball players is probably more to do with the hard courts they play on. Not so much the jump as the landing I would suggest that holds them back. It is the mental side that has become the biggest problem to recovery and a hard landing is going to prey on your mind, like a sudden burst of acceleration does for a footballer.}


9.) 19 Jul 2018
19 Jul 2018 09:48:12
Ed001 you are absolutely right regarding the psychological barriers impacting return to sport. Many players suffer from fear, avoidance when approaching certain movements which will impact their ability to regain a full recovery.

Playing surfaces definitely play a part as well. Rapid deceleration puts significant stress on the knee so you are right the landing and lunging aspect of basketball will stress the knee more. It is why in football recently there has been significant efforts to find correct boots for 3/ 4g surfaces. The prevalence of injury on these surfaces appears to be greater and it is suggested that standard moulds (particularly rubber), blades and astroturf trainers effectively over grip and stick to the surface increasing the risk of in particular ligament injuries.

Cheers.


10.) 19 Jul 2018
19 Jul 2018 15:55:23
Thanks Greggers very informative.