According to the U.S News & World Report, 7.6 million high school athletes are reported to have gotten significant injuries while participating in interscholastic sports. This statistic is frightening but intriguing.
In the last 25 years it is to be said that high school athletes are more susceptible to tearing their ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and MCL(Medial Collateral Ligament). These injuries happen when athletes land awkwardly, make a sharp cut, lift heavy or hyperextend the knee.
These types of knee injuries in most cases will need surgery to be fully repaired. The recovery for a typical ACL tear at the minimum is six months. But it can take up to more than a year to be healed completely. The recovery process is brutal and takes a lot from a person mentally and physically.
I experienced this first hand. Tearing my ACL was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through. People do not always realize how hard the injury affects you not only physically but also mentally. Not only do you have to push your body beyond its limits, you have to trust your mind.
Another injury that has become more common within high school athletes is a labrum tear. This injury, if severe enough, requires surgery as well. The recovery time for this injury is at a minimum six months and at maximum a year. The recovery process for this injury is difficult too.
David Otto, a junior lacrosse player, says, “I go to physical therapy three times a week. I have been rehabbing a lot. I will be missing this spring season. But I hope to be able to play in the summer league.”
High school athletes are constantly training and as they are getting bigger and faster their bodies have no time to reset. Lack of rest, sleep deprivation, and not fueling the body properly all add into why these injuries happen.
To prevent these injuries, you can do a number of things. Making sure you receive an adequate amount of sleep, eat properly and make sure you leave time to rest are all steps in the right direction when wanting to prevent injury. The most important thing to do is listen to the body.
