It doesnt happen often, but these players are living proof that a torn ACL doesnt mean you cant come back better than ever. Return date: Week 1, 2006 (college). But the future Hall of Fame quarterback could not finish what turned out to be a championship season, breaking his leg in three places in the regular season's penultimate game. A new home for Michael Thomas? Key before/after facts: Charles' yards per carry dropped from 6.1 before the injury to 5.2. This difference was especially seen in female football players with 20% of ACL injuries being sustained by players going to a higher division compared to 7% for those going to a lower division. He led the NFL in scrimmage yards in 1981, managing a staggering 81 catches out of the backfield. Even . Regardless, this was surely a case of an athlete's passion (and recklessness) resulting in a tough injury. He didnt work on internal rotation range of motion, or his external rotation strength, in the way he did after his second ACL reconstruction. Honorable mention: Jason Kelce, Eagles; Kory Lichtensteiger, Redskins. Return date: Week 1, 2014. Zlatan ibrohimavich The imposting, charastmatic Swede is the latest high-profile player to successfully return from an ACL injury. QPR fan, so I've grown used to disappointment and started overpaying for things past their prime. He is averaging 16.1 yards per catch and 0.9 touchdowns per game since the injury (13.38 and 0.4 before, respectively). While Kelce was blocking on a run play during a game against the Baltimore Ravens, a player collided into his right knee, tearing his MCL and ACL. But he actually is averaging more explosive runs per game -- 12 yards or more -- since the injury (1.7) than before (1.2). Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008. I tore the reconstructed ACL in the same knee 10 years later. Generally, those who successfully returned were above-average NFL players before their injury but relatively average after their return. One recent study found that ACL injured players in the NFL earned $2,070,521 less than their uninjured peers over the four years after injury. Injury date: Week 16, 2013. After leading the Lions to two NFL titles in the early 1950s, Layne had the team set to vie for a third crown in 1957. Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk faces a long recovery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against Everton on Saturday. Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. I play varsity football for senior high and tore my acl from a volley, it's been over 4 weeks since the injury, and a sports specialist/orthopedic has recommended me to get surgery. American football quarterback Tom Brady has suffered a number of injuries throughout his career, but one of the most serious was his ACL tear on his right knee. At the age of 39, he's still going strong. A torn ACL is often the end of the line for pro athletes in any sport. Thea Mrk (Norwegian international handball player, 3x ACL rupture) Lois Abbingh (Dutch international handball player, 1x ACL, 1x MCL) Isabelle Jongenelen (Dutch inyernational handball player, 1x ACL) Danielle v.d. This website uses cookies and third party services. Honorable mention: Frank Gore, 49ers; Adrian Peterson, Vikings. Maybe if this injury had occurred in the present day, Gazza would've been able to bounce back more effectively. Sustaining the injury in the Chargers' divisional-round win over the Colts, Rivers underwent a secret arthroscopic surgery the next day and faced the Patriots six days later. Even the best professional athletes are only as strong as their weakest link. How to get into football - the most popular sport in the world, with clubs and facilities throughout the UK. Id get sore, but I felt like if I wanted to reach my maximum potential, then thats what I had to do., Ross went on to have a spectacular redshirt junior season, recording 1,150 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. Towards the end of the game, Keane tried to trip his opponent, but his studs caught in the turf and he ended up tearing his cruciate ligament. The University of Tennessee announced Wednesday that Zeigler suffered a torn ACL against the Razorbacks. Since the start of the 2008 season, he has missed just four games. Forming a dominant inside-linebacking duo with Patrick Willis, Bowman helped the defense-powered 49ers to three straight NFC championship games (and Super Bowl XLVII) from 2011-13. He had scored 32 goals to help Juventus win the Serie A title and reach the final of the Champions League the previous season. . Fortunately for the striker, Sir Alex Ferguson was still interested and the deal was completed the following summer. This injury occurred during the 2008 season when Brady was hit low by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker. He re-watched film of himself from previous seasons, noting what he couldve done better. According to Samuel, Rosss decision not to rush back was wise. While most do return, future performance is still hazy. He helped the team to the divisional playoffs with 2,105 scrimmage yards, but on the first play of that second-round game in Atlanta, Hearst suffered a broken ankle. Return date: Week 1, 2013. In time, performance might very well return to normal, but since the NFL is a produce-now league, those players often never return to play or last only for a short period of time before getting cut or released. Its a damn shame. Click here for the All-ACL offensive team. In typical style, Zlatan said: "Lions don't recover like humans.". All rights reserved. But the injury -- a torn ACL, MCL and PCL -- in a rookie showcase at the Pro Bowl had doctors considering amputation. Hed want to understand why the lift is important, what he should be feeling during the lift, and then after each exercise, hed give me feedback. But this cinched up Peterson's case for best running back of his era; Peterson became the standard by which all surgery recoveries are measured. Here are 25 key examples of players who battled back from career-defining injuries to continue playing. Treatment efforts in Europe preceded surgery No. Smith's Nov. 2018 broken leg -- 23 years to the day that Joe Theismann suffered a career-ending broken leg no one wants to watch twice -- began a life-threatening sequence that included infections and ultimately 17 surgeries. Key before/after facts: McDonald has played an eight-season NFL career (and counting). Read about our approach to external linking. If he can do it, you can too. 7 in 2011. Soccer (Or football for those of you who don't reside in the USA) is often mentioned when we talk about athletes suffering the dreaded ACL Tear. He averaged 37 yards per kickoff return and 16.2 yards per punt return before the injury. Harris returned to have a spectacular 2014 season en route to his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. Key before/after facts: Mathieu has played in nine games, starting three, since his return. Boehly's Blues clear-out: Chelsea players face being SOLD if they don't sign three-year contracts, so who. It's a brutal blow for a Dodgers team that was counting on the former top . Honorable mention: Logan Mankins, Buccaneers. The future Hall of Famer played through a broken leg, suiting up against the Buccaneers in the NFC title game and against the Steelers in Super Bowl XIV. Injury date: Week 9, 2013. Key before/after facts: Nugent has been a more accurate kicker (82.1 percent conversion rate) after the injury than before (79.0), keeping pace with the overall recent uptick of NFL kicking. Injury date: Preseason, 2010 Return date: Week 4, 2011. My mindset was that the rehab would replace my football season. Cruz took a backseat to Odell Beckham Jr. by the time he returned in 2016 -- his final season -- but still caught 39 passes for 586 yards in 15 games for a playoff-bound squad. And in what should perhaps have warranted a psychiatric evaluation, Youngblood -- who notched a career-high 18 sacks in 1979 -- participated in the Pro Bowl. He returned to the Pro Bowl and piloted the Chiefs to two comeback playoff wins in his two seasons in Missouri. Late injuries strike again. However, the combative midfielder returned to win several trophies with the Red Devils, including the treble in 1998/99. In the 2002 opener with the Dolphins, Edwards scored twice. This included suffering a broken forearm in the Panthers' NFC title game win over the Cardinals. His absence was felt the following season, as Arsenal relinquished the league title to Manchester United. The differences are related to the physical requirements of not only each sport, but position on the field or court as well, says Kyle Aune, author of ACL return-to-play research in the NFL and MLB. Hes so detail-oriented. Thats very normal, Samuel said. To contact Team Sterett or for specific questions about your situation, please email us: sterettteam@vsortho.com. He played through the 2004 season. With the highest rate of return to play in professional sports, nine out of 10 MLB players will return to the field after an ACL injury. Not too long ago, there was only one relevant question for a football player with a torn ACL: Where's the retirement party? Key before/after facts: Pouncey has started all 11 games since returning from the injury. All rights reserved. Not being out on the field with his teammates left Kelce feeling helpless, but he brought the right mindset to his rehab. Return date: Week 11, 2013. You have to be ready to attack every day, Palmer told STACK. While Liverpool havent put a time-frame on his return to action, the average length of time it takes to recover from such an injury can be from six to 12 months. A 26-year-old Philip Rivers played the 2008 AFC Championship Game against the Patriots with a torn ACL. Acknowledging that monetary and contractual factors play a role in how long athletes spend recovering from an ACL injury, Hewett supports the notion that some sports are harder than others to return. The Liverpool centre-back was on the receiving end of a reckless challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the early stages of the Merseyside derby. A collision with Shawne Merriman altered the Chiefs' plans, sidelining Holmes 23 months with head and neck trauma. The 2014 Vikings first-round pick was on track for a lucrative extension after having been Minnesota's starter for nearly two seasons, but a preseason ACL tear and knee dislocation ended his time as the Vikes' QB1. Later, it was discovered Gifford suffered a spinal concussion. In addition to his diligent rehab, Kelce used the time to bulk up his upper body. Perhaps most impressive was the fact Maclin played 1,031 total snaps that season, the third-most of any NFL wide receiver. Baggio played for Vicenza at the time but Fiorentina werent put off from signing him in 1985. He helped the Colts to an NFL title in 1968 and a Super Bowl championship three years later. And he recovered from the early setbacks in his career to win the Ballon dOr with Juventus in 1993 and also represent AC Milan and Inter Milan. Can the Lions fix their defense? Key before/after facts: Brady has become more efficient since the injury, with a touchdown/interception ratio of 3.51, compared to 2.29 before. Of the players that returned, return occurred at an average of 12.2 months after surgery. Key before/after facts: Miller is actually accumulating sacks at a faster rate (one per game) since the injury than he did before (0.88 per game). Del Piero would stay at Juve for 13 more seasons and was also part of the Italy side that won the World Cup in 2006. PFF rates him its seventh-best center in 2014. The decades-long broadcaster is in the Hall of Fame for his 1950s contributions as a Giants halfback, but Gifford also authored a signature NFL comeback. 1. Fortunately for Zouma, he made a full recovery from the injury and recently returned. XFL Week 3 preview: Can AJ McCarron, Battlehawks continue their fourth-quarter heroics? Ibrahimovic posted several videos showing his recovery progress. Let. Liverpools task of defending their Premier League title became significantly more difficult on Saturday when Virgil van Dijk suffered a serious injury against Everton. I played the entire season with it torn and had it repaired in the off-season. Tearing an ACL can feel like a football players worst nightmare. Because most of the running in baseball is in a straight line, without any unplanned changes in direction (the bases arent moving and the ball doesnt change mid-flight), the recovery from ACL injury for a baseball player is probably the most straightforward, says Aune, an injury researcher at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. The dreaded ACL Tear struck again during a game against fearsome foes Manchester United. The average air yards of passes thrown his way is 10.1 compared to 11.5. At the end of a 2001-02 Premier League title-winning campaign, Robert Pires was named the Football Writers' player of the year, despite his season being abruptly ended in March because of an ACL injury. Here are nine such world-class players who came back better than ever after suffering the dreaded ACL injury, much to the delight of football fans across the globe. Soccer players often recover fully from ACL surgery. Luck's timetable continued to be pushed back, and he missed all of 2017. Well-rounded programs also include Sports Psychology training. Blessed with incredible speed and quickness, Walcott has been slowed throughout his career by a spate of minor and major injuries. He was so emotionally invested in the processnot just the outcome, the process. Though his career ran through the 2013 season, his most memorable moment may still be the frightening Fiesta Bowl injury. In Keane's autobiography, he suggests that it was revenge: "I'd waited long enough. Although it didn't seem to affect his career negatively, Van Nistelrooy actually suffered an ACL tear of his own while playing for Dutch team PSV. In September 1997, as Manchester United faced bitter rivals Leeds United, captain Roy Keane clashed with Norwegian defender Alf-Inge Haaland throughout. He was PFF's 65th-ranked guard in 2013 but has elevated to No. 15% of the male and 21% of the female ACL injuries occurred in teams with a coach change during the season. After missing 12 games because of a foot injury in 2008, Henderson suffered a gag-inducing broken leg in December of the '09 season. Totti is another example of a player who shook off the dreaded ACL injury to regain his former level of play. Injury date: Week 10, 2010. With all the stopping, starting, quick movements, and tackling, legs and knees are bound to end up in positions that they don't belong in. Davis underwent surgery the next day and made seven tackles in Super Bowl 50. Jason Kelces first serious football injury didnt come until his second year in the NFL. Him. He had totaled at least 11 sacks in each of the final three seasons before the injury. He also has been more than three times as harried, pressured on 18.6 percent of his dropbacks, compared to 5.2. So far this offseason -- from Jacksonville Jaguars first-round . Those numbers are 21.0 and 2.7, respectively, since then. Ross went on to run a record-setting 4.22 40-Yard Dash at the NFL Combine before being drafted 9th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2017 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-9 point guard fell and immediately grabbed his left . During his maiden season with Blackburn Rovers, in 1992, he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Research shows that to significantly improve sports performance, overall athleticism and physical ability, athletes must complete training sessions in addition to playing their sport. Play Home; Football. Hes so meticulous. 75% of the second ACL procedures were performed on the athlete's opposite, or contralateral, knee. According to PFF, opposing quarterbacks have a league-low 41.7 passer rating on passes thrown into his coverage. Top 2023 NFL free agents at key fantasy football positions . While Williams never topped this season, it should be noted what the Auburn alum was able to overcome to play until 2011. Playing Sports With Torn ACL (Multiple Activities) I suffered a torn ACL in the same knee on two different occasions. But with Washington in 2001, Carter rushed for 308 yards (4.9 per carry) in 14 games. "The Tennessee basketball family joins all of Vol Nation in lifting up Zakai with love and support," UT said in a school release. Boxing, the Royals and Pandora stations featuring female rock protagonists are some of his go-tos. Its here where the miraculous recovery from ACL surgery of athletes like Adrian Peterson perhaps unfairly raises the bar for other athletes. But Sayers' 1969 season is historically impressive. [That can] create swelling in the knee, which creates an inoptimal environment for tissue healing.. On the defensive side of the ball, just published research by the Aune and the American Sports Medicine Institute, the injury research think tank started by Dr James Andrews, indicates that 72% of NFL defensive players return to play at least one game after an ACL injury. 22 this season. Haaland later accused Keane of feigning his reaction, which didnt go down well with the Irishman.