This past Easter Sunday, March 31, some of us might have seen the gruesome injury of Kevin Ware. However, the following day it was the talk of the students.
Kevin Ware of the Louisville Cardinals broke his leg in two places as he tried to block a 3-point shot. Ware practically bent his leg at a 90 degree angle when he landed, leaving him with a tibial fracture, and his bone sticking 6 inches out of the skin. The break took place on national television and left the crowd in shock. Although, the students at Macarthur have never come near that kind of gory injury, we’ve had some pretty bad occurrences. It is important for athletes of the remaining year and next school year to take care of their bodies in every way to avoid such a horrible injury.
A very common injury in athletes is a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) wich is caused when the knee is stretched more than 10 degrees beyond its maximum capacity. For example, when a standing football player is tackled sideways and his feet are firmly planted, it can result in a torn ACL. Women in sports such as basketball, tennis and volleyball are more prone to an ACL injury than men because of a gene difference. Therefore, girls playing these sports next year should be very careful.
If you dont take the proper precautions to ensure your safety in the oncoming sports games, it could result in you sitting out for the rest of the season. To prevent tearing a ligament, you can do such exercises to maintain strength and endurance in your lower extremities. Leg stretches, squats and lunges are also good exercises. Prior to the season of sports you will be playing, engage in four weeks of endurance training to prepare yourself.
Guillermo Agilara (11) said that the injury to his ACL on a scale of 1-10 was “a solid 9 or 10.” Agilara sustained the injury in soccer while he was a sophomore. It “took a month for the swelling to go down” and “six months of therapy.” Now, to prevent his injury from happening again he must wear a brace for a year, “which sucks.”
Of course, any injury sustained during sports is not good. A torn ACL is the most common and can put you on the bench for the remainder of the season. Safety is the most important element in sports and you must remind yourself to be careful.
