Quick fix to reduce knee injuries in football

#1
VOLorNuttin

VOLorNuttin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
7,192
Likes
1,833
#1
This isn't specific to UT football, but HS, college and NFL in general. It dawned on me that the best way to cut the number of knee injuries dramatically would be to require knee braces to be worn by EVERY player, without exception.

This would soon be just another part of the uniform, just like the shoulder pads and helmet. If you think about it, shoulder pads are just as restrictive if not more so. Facemasks restrict a player's field of view slightly. So, why not require this basic level of protection for the same reasons helmets and shoulder pads are? ACL tears are so common in the sport that it should have been mandated a LONG time ago.

By making it a mandatory piece of equipment, no one has a speed advantage, and the skill players can play with the lightest models, so they can still perform at a relatively high level. Some injuries will still occur, but the very same thing can be said about shoulder injuries...that doesn't prevent shoulder pads being mandatory.

I just think it will greatly reduce the chances that our favorite players lose an entire season, to this common injury. What do you guys think?
 
Last edited:
#3
#3
la-sp-sn-rg3-knee-injury-shanahan-20130107-001.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people
#4
#4
It could have a worse effect if you put them on all the skill players. I imagine a lot of ugly leg breaks. I could be wrong, but can you imagine a kid getting rolled by another player. Sometimes the leg can give a little and save a broken leg, which wouldn't necessarily mean knee damage.
This is all speculative on my part.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#5
#5
I've always been told that braces wouldn't keep one from tearing up their knee. I don't know if that's true.
 
#6
#6
It does sound good, but knee braces really do not prevent knee injuries.
 
#7
#7
I can speak from experience that knee braces do not prevent all knee injuries, but they do provide support that helps.

I can also speak from experience that Active Ankle braces absolutely do prevent all ankle sprains.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#10
#10
I'm no doctor , but have injured both knees multiple times , torn mcl acl in left knee, acl lcl in right knee and meniscus in both, (bareback broncos calf roping and bull riding) doc told me to wear a brace only during recovery and just use a soft wrap or sock type brace for my knees while competing , I know for a fact my acls are stronger after repair , his point behind braces is they prevent the ligaments from strengthening and can weaken (in my case) the knee to an extent.
 
#12
#12
VOLorNuttin said:
This isn't specific to UT football, but HS, college and NFL in general. It dawned on me that the best way to cut the number of knee injuries dramatically would be to require knee braces to be worn by EVERY player, without exception.

This would soon be just another part of the uniform, just like the shoulder pads and helmet. If you think about it, shoulder pads are just as restrictive if not more so. Facemasks restrict a player's field of view slightly. So, why not require this basic level of protection for the same reasons helmets and shoulder pads are? ACL tears are so common in the sport that it should have been mandated a LONG time ago.

By making it a mandatory piece of equipment, no one has a speed advantage, and the skill players can play with the lightest models, so they can still perform at a relatively high level. Some injuries will still occur, but the very same thing can be said about shoulder injuries...that doesn't prevent shoulder pads being mandatory.

I just think it will greatly reduce the chances that our favorite players lose an entire season, to this common injury. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Better yet, make wheelchairs mandatory.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people
#14
#14
Placing so much emphasis on the prevention of head injuries makes knee injuries more likely. It is a dangerous sport with risk.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#16
#16
GLDunlap said:
Wasn't Gilliam wearing a knee brace when he went down?
Click to expand...
Did I not just say that it some injuries would still occur, but then again shoulder pads don't always prevent shoulder injuries? They just reduce...not eliminate...the number of the injuries. THAT is the point.
 
#18
#18
What I picture when I read this is the scene from forest gump where he starts to run from those bullies and the leg braces fall apart while he is running...

But on a serious note, Knee braces I think are for keeping your knee from buckling when you have a bunch of weight on them.. not for keeping ligaments from tearing.

And another thought.. It would make it easier for the defense to catch up to the offensive player. So it "could" make more injuries due to being tackled more.
 
#19
#19
Having experienced a serious knee injury (torn ACL and ligament damage) - you can tear something simply running in warm ups - I don't think you could put any type gear on a knee to prevent an injury.
 
#21
#21
VOLorNuttin said:
This isn't specific to UT football, but HS, college and NFL in general. It dawned on me that the best way to cut the number of knee injuries dramatically would be to require knee braces to be worn by EVERY player, without exception.

This would soon be just another part of the uniform, just like the shoulder pads and helmet. If you think about it, shoulder pads are just as restrictive if not more so. Facemasks restrict a player's field of view slightly. So, why not require this basic level of protection for the same reasons helmets and shoulder pads are? ACL tears are so common in the sport that it should have been mandated a LONG time ago.

By making it a mandatory piece of equipment, no one has a speed advantage, and the skill players can play with the lightest models, so they can still perform at a relatively high level. Some injuries will still occur, but the very same thing can be said about shoulder injuries...that doesn't prevent shoulder pads being mandatory.

I just think it will greatly reduce the chances that our favorite players lose an entire season, to this common injury. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

It's hard enough to play lineman in knee braces, let alone skill postions. It just isn't very practical.


What they could do that would help a little is actually make the players where pants with knee pads that actually cover their knee
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#23
#23
The cost of bracing is far from negligible. There are the obvious financial implications, but player comfort, performance, and safety must also be considered.

This controversy is reflected in the position statement of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) on prophylactic bracing: “Prophylactic knee braces may provide limited protection against injuries to the MCL in football players. Scientific studies have not demonstrated similar protection to other knee ligaments, menisci, or articular cartilage.” The AAOS concluded that there is insufficient scientific evidence to recommend the use of prophylactic knee braces in all football players.

...Consistent level 1 evidence is lacking to suggest that bracing prevents injury or decreases injury severity. A single randomized controlled study supported bracing. The other studies were lower levels of evidence and had biases that influenced their conclusions and generalizability. Data do suggest that in the high-risk positions of offensive and defensive line, linebacker, and tight end, bracing may be effective in both preventing and decreasing severity of MCL injuries in the college athlete.
The Effectiveness of Prophylactic Knee Bracing in American Football
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#24
#24
kamoshika said:
The cost of bracing is far from negligible. There are the obvious financial implications, but player comfort, performance, and safety must also be considered.

This controversy is reflected in the position statement of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) on prophylactic bracing: “Prophylactic knee braces may provide limited protection against injuries to the MCL in football players. Scientific studies have not demonstrated similar protection to other knee ligaments, menisci, or articular cartilage.” The AAOS concluded that there is insufficient scientific evidence to recommend the use of prophylactic knee braces in all football players.

...Consistent level 1 evidence is lacking to suggest that bracing prevents injury or decreases injury severity. A single randomized controlled study supported bracing. The other studies were lower levels of evidence and had biases that influenced their conclusions and generalizability. Data do suggest that in the high-risk positions of offensive and defensive line, linebacker, and tight end, bracing may be effective in both preventing and decreasing severity of MCL injuries in the college athlete.
The Effectiveness of Prophylactic Knee Bracing in American Football
Click to expand...

Pretty good information. There is very little evidence that supports the use of knee braces. The biggest thing they do is remind the player that they have it on, which may influence how they move (wont be received well by skill position players that often choose to go without thigh pads because they are bulky).

The biggest way to cut down on knee injuries would be to outlaw any sort of cut block where they blocker goes low.

That being said, most ACL injuries are non-contact, and wouldnt be effected by those rules anyways
 
#25
#25
mcashawn0304 said:
Pretty good information. There is very little evidence that supports the use of knee braces. The biggest thing they do is remind the player that they have it on, which may influence how they move (wont be received well by skill position players that often choose to go without thigh pads because they are bulky).

The biggest way to cut down on knee injuries would be to outlaw any sort of cut block where they blocker goes low.

That being said, most ACL injuries are non-contact, and wouldnt be effected by those rules anyways
Click to expand...

solid post.

OP, your heart is in the right place but you didn't research the topic thorough enough.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.
Advertisement



Back
Top