Introduction
In professional football, a cruciate ligament injury is one of the significant challenges affecting the career and the immediate performance of athletes. The occurrence and impact of these injuries have created the need to understand how they impact the untimely end of the professional careers of footballers. Pesántez et al. (2023) define ACL injury as a rupture when the ligament is partly damaged. The scholar adds that footballers can return to their professional sport after reconstructive surgery, especially for young athletes. In this case, this study seeks to examine the relationship between ACL injuries and the early retirement of footballers by providing an in-depth analysis of the impact of these injuries on the physiology, psychology, and profession of the footballers involved. This study will focus on recent primary researchers to integrate several insights to highlight the implications of ACL injuries on the football industry and provide an overview of their impact on the livelihood of a football player.
Research Aim
This study aims to analyze the impact of ACL injuries on the early retirement of football players.
Methodology
This study has used literature sources focusing on existing research concerning ACL injuries and football players. This approach systematically searched databases such as Google Scholar and medicine sports journals for studies published within the last five years. For this reason, the study critically evaluated relevant articles to understand the relationship between ACL injuries and early retirement. Specified inclusion and exclusion criteria were involved in sources selected for this study. For instance, articles offered direct insights into the retirement plans caused by ACL injuries.
This methodology provided several findings, as discussed in this section.
What Causes ACL Injury?
Boden et al. (2020) state that an anterior crucial ligament (ACL) tear is common in American football, so it calls for a lengthy treatment process. The author stresses what causes these common ACL injuries in American football. To accomplish his research, his study compiled footage from 148 events and two orthopedic surgeons who reviewed them and determined the causes of the injury and its effect on the leg. In this case, they found that most ACL injuries are not caused by direct contact with the leg. Lateral movement, especially when pursuing an opponent while running with the ball in the field, is an everyday activity that causes this injury. In this case, the hip is flexed and abducted; the affected leg is positioned at risk as the knee is externally rotated. For offensive linemen, most of the ACL injuries were found to be caused by direct contact. Jagadeesh et al., 2021 add that there are risk factors for injuries, categorized as intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The intrinsic factors include genetic, anatomical, gender, and previous ACL injuries. On the other hand, the external risk factors are considered adaptable, and they include the type of shoe worn by a player and the characteristic of the surface, among others,
Why is ACL injury common for football players?
ACL injuries occur when a player lands their foot on the ground and tries to rotate their body about the landed foot, adding weight to the foot. In this case, motions tend to twist the knee joint where the ACL must absorb. In most cases, it is not possible to force a rapture. According to Sandon et al., 2020, football players have a higher ACL injury due to their rapid changes in direction. For instance, rotational movements, high-speed directional changes, and repetitive movements beyond the knee cause ACL tears. Additionally, the anatomy of the hips and lack of muscle support during jumping and landing put soccer players at a higher risk of ACL injuries.
What is the rehabilitation period for an ACL injury?
According to Bell & Pollock (2024), the rehab for an ACL injury typically takes 3 to 12 months to recover, depending on the severity of the injury entirely. However, competitive players require a more extended period than this to fully heal before they are allowed to return to their activity. The knee comprises three bones: the femur, tibia, and patella; joined tendons and ligaments that hold them into place. Among these ligaments is the ACL, which stabilizes the knee joint. A 7- to 10-week exercise is recommended to help strengthen the injured leg as quadricep control is restored.
Does ACL injury decrease the performance of football players?
An ACL injury will likely affect an athlete’s performance even after returning to play. For instance, Lu (2023) reports that ACL-injured patients have a slower reaction time and a lower processing speed than ordinary football players. He adds that women with an ACL injury are at more risk as compared to men with the same issue. These players tend to have a low playing level, and a re-rupture may occur during the game. Overall, ACL injuries negatively impact on footballers’ professional careers. Athletes portray a slow statistical performance in the first season upon return from the recovery period. In addition, a footballer’s agility, strength, and overall physical capacity since the recovery process is always longer. Also, some footballers tend to experience changes in their playing tactics to evade re-injury. Piussi et al. 2023 add that ACL-injured footballers encounter significant psychological implications, such as low confidence while playing and fear, which affect their general performance.
What are ways to strengthen the ACL muscle?
Engaging in several joint exercises is likely to improve the strength of ACL muscles and reduce injuries. For instance, quad sets are a joint exercise that footballers are advised to engage in after an ACL injury. Also, heel slides and straight leg raises are commonly involved. As the symptoms of the injury decrease and necessary improvements are noticed, patients may be advised to initiate mini squats and side-lying leg lifts. Medical experts recommend various strategies to lower the risk of ACL injury, such as year-round training and conditioning that involves stretching exercises during the offseason to strengthen balance and rapid coordination when the season begins. They also recommend a significant warm-up before the competition to avoid muscle strains. Also, footballers can practice landing skills such as knee-bending when landing, soft landing, and aligning the upper body with the hips to improve agility.
What happens if ACL injuries are not treated?
Herbst et al. (2023) argue that if ACL injuries are left untreated, they can significantly affect the patient’s long-term health. For instance, the knee may be prone to damage in its internal structures, such as the articular cartilage and menisci. With time, this may develop into chronic conditions reducing their activity performance, leading to unbearable pain, instability, reduced movement as well as joint degeneration. Novaretti et al. (2021) add to this study by highlighting that the accumulated implications of untreated injuries may impair the general function of the knee, affecting an individual’s overall life, such as engaging in physical activities.
Koch et al., 2021 draw a comprehensive relationship between ACL injuries and the career end of professional footballers. For instance, he mentions that ACL injuries require a long rehabilitation period, possibly leading to a termination contract for most footballers. Also, these injuries place a significant risk for repetitive injuries or the development of osteoarthritis, which is a chronic knee condition that may take a while before full recovery. In this case, such conditions can lead to declined performance and decreased playing time; therefore, they decide to retire earlier as expected to look after their health. Davis (2022) adds that the psychological impacts of encountering such injuries, such as diminished confidence and fear, can have a more detrimental impact on the footballer’s decision to seek early retirement than expected. The physical and mental challenges of returning to a previous performance after an ACL recovery can be traumatizing, forcing players to end their careers at an early age (Kvist and Silbernagel, 2022).
Limitations
This study is prone to several limitations. For instance, the study will seek sources in 2020 that may not provide current insights into the current athlete’s life. For this reason, this may exclude insights from research conducted before then. In addition, the study does not consider the severity of injury or the rehabilitation outcomes, limiting the generalization of its findings, which may limit its analysis. Also, the study relies on primary self-reported information, which may bring possible bias. The bias may pose a possible exaggeration of the extent of injury and the decision for early retirement. Therefore, to reduce the influence of self-report bias, objective performance measurements (van Berkel et al. 2020). Despite these limitations, the study significantly contributes to understanding the relationships between ACL injuries and the early retirement of professional footballers. Therefore, future research may build upon the analysis done here by investigating the implications of ACL injuries on the decisions made by footballers to seek an early retirement by focusing on a wide array of study methodologies and data sources.
Conclusion
This study examined how ACL injuries influence early retirement among professional footballers. The findings show a direct relationship between ACL injuries and the career end of these footballers significantly at unexpected times. For instance, footballers are prone to ACL injuries due to their recurring movements and constant directional movements, which force the knee ligaments to tear. It has also been found that the common causative of ACL injury is sudden pivoting movements during football activity. It has also been found that the rehabilitation period for an ACL injury takes 3 to 12 months to heal, depending on the extent of the injury. However, competitive players may need several other weeks to return to play fully. It has also been found that ACL injuries negatively impact the performance of footballers. Their speed may be reduced, playing tactics and may impact their psychological health. In this case, if the injuries are left untreated, they may cause long-term implications. As mentioned in the study, engaging in physical exercises such as quad sets is necessary to strengthen the ACL. Based on the findings, it is enough to conclude that ACL injuries directly lead to the early retirement of footballers by lowering their confidence, inducing the fear of re-injury or even complications that may not allow them to continue with their careers.
Future Studies
This study focuses on the implications of ACL injuries on a player, therefore drawing a relationship between ACL injuries and the early retirement of professional footballers. However, several avenues create a pathway for future research that may help understand these implications comprehensively.
- Mixed method approaches: Future research can integrate a mixed method strategy that comprises quantitative surveys, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, or experimental research, which may reduce the possibility of self-reported bias and also expand the understanding of ACL injuries and their rehabilitation processes as well as its outcomes.
- Longitudinal studies: In the same case, employing a longitudinal research design that involves repetitive follow-up of a particular football for a while, such as years, may draw a comprehensive relationship between ACL and the early retirement plan. Also, these studies can explore the post-ACL recovery in various regions to offer preventive approaches that support players and reduce the choice for early retirement.
- Psychological Impact: Apart from the decision for early retirement, future studies may focus on examining the impact of ACL injuries on the psychological health of a footballer. For instance, the study may focus on factors such as readiness to resume play or the fear of re-injury.
- Rehabilitation measures: Also, future studies may consider examining the efficiency of various rehabilitation practices and their role in maximizing the resume-to-play results. In this case, such a study can offer insights to reduce the risks of premature career end of professional footballers.
References
Bell, A., & Pollock. (2024, December 20). How long does it take to recover from a torn ACL? Www.medicalnewstoday.com. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/torn-acl-recovery-time#:~:text=Recovery%20from%20an%20anterior%20cruciate
Boden, B.P., Torg, J.S., Knowles, S.B. and Hewett, T.E., 2020. A closer look at what causes ACL injury in American football.
Davis, N., 2022. Exploring the return-to-competition experiences of injured team sport athletes (Doctoral dissertation, Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University).
Herbst, E., Costello, J., Popchak, A.J., Tashman, S., Irrgang, J.J., Fu, F.H. and Musahl, V., 2023. Untreated injuries to the anterolateral capsular structures do not affect outcomes and kinematics after anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction—Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(13), p.4408.
Jagadeesh, N., Kapadi, S., Deva, V. and Kariya, A., 2021. Risk Factors of ACL Injury. Arthroscopy.
Koch, M., Klügl, M., Frankewycz, B., Lang, S., Worlicek, M., Popp, D., Alt, V. and Krutsch, W., 2021. Football-related injuries are the primary reason for the end of professional male football players’ careers. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy, 29(11), pp.3560-3568.
Koch, M., Klügl, M., Frankewycz, B., Lang, S., Worlicek, M., Popp, D., Alt, V. and Krutsch, W., 2021. Football-related injuries are the primary reason for the end of professional male football players’ careers. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy, 29(11), pp.3560-3568.
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Lu, H.B., 2023. Reaction Time Under Limited Vision With Cognitive Challenge in Individuals With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Novaretti, J.V., Herbst, E., Chan, C.K., Debski, R.E. and Musahl, V., 2021. Small lateral meniscus tears propagate over time in ACL intact and deficient knees. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 29, pp.3068-3076.
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Piussi, Ramana, Ferid Krupic, Carl Senorski, Eleonor Svantesson, David Sundemo, Urban Johnson, and Eric Hamrin Senorski. “Psychological impairments after ACL injury–Do we know what we are addressing? Experiences from sports physical therapists.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 31, no. 7 (2021): 1508-1517.
Sandon, A., Engström, B. and Forssblad, M., 2020. High risk of further anterior cruciate ligament injury in a 10-year follow-up study of anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed soccer players in the Swedish National Knee Ligament Registry. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery, 36(1), pp.189-195.
van Berkel, N., Goncalves, J., Hosio, S., Sarsenbayeva, Z., Velloso, E. and Kostakos, V., 2020. Overcoming compliance bias in self-report studies: A cross-study analysis. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 134, pp.1-12.
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