Boubacar Kamara - officially signed new 5 year contract.

[paul_e]

Time for Timmy Irons for me. We have 2 games that are very winnable against opposition that would let him build into the team.
Gutted for Bouba. We are having a bad season for ACLs, not just at Villa and not just in the men’s league. What’s happening? It’s very strange.

You’re the doctor so you tell us?

Think you'd need a specialist from the Clinical Musculoskeletal Assessment Team for that one.  I specialise in more esoteric sciences. It must be an increasing issue though, half the England Women's team were out with ACLs, we've got 3 inside 7 months, Fofana and Arsenal's Timber fell to the same thing within the first month or so... Rico Henry at Brentford.  Just been through the PL injury list and there's 5 further confirmed ACLs, 1 confirmed MCL and 2 unnamed long term knees injuries.  So 11 ACLs already this season, not this calendar year.

Currently still off work with an undiagnosed shoulder injury so have plenty of time and empathy for those suffering with joint issues.

ACL injuries are generally down to excessive lateral hyperextension (or the knee bending sideways, in or out). Traditionally the football version of that is the Wesley scenario where a player has a planted foot and takes a heavy impact near their knee.

What we're seeing more recently is far more occurances without the impact element so it's created by a shift in the centre of gravity which means the lower leg isn't supporting the bodt weight above and that creates the force instead.

No one fully understands why this is happening (and specifically why it's so much more common in the womens game) but, for me, the 3 main things we need to look at are the boots, the pitches and dietary changes. I don't claim to have anytihng like enough knowledge to pick one or specify why I see those as the key areas but they are the 3 things that could be involved which have seen massive changes in the last 20-30 years.

[DrGonzo]

Diet seems the least likely of those to me. Diets are much more closely controlled and designed to aid performance. Boots are getting lighter and the changes in stud shape was part of the issue with the Great Metatarsal Debacle of the early 2000s. Potentially training levels and techniques have changed and might be an influence. It’s certainly not increased contact in on field challenges, I think that’s safe to say.

[Smithy]

Time for Timmy Irons for me. We have 2 games that are very winnable against opposition that would let him build into the team.
Gutted for Bouba. We are having a bad season for ACLs, not just at Villa and not just in the men’s league. What’s happening? It’s very strange.

You’re the doctor so you tell us?

Think you'd need a specialist from the Clinical Musculoskeletal Assessment Team for that one.  I specialise in more esoteric sciences. It must be an increasing issue though, half the England Women's team were out with ACLs, we've got 3 inside 7 months, Fofana and Arsenal's Timber fell to the same thing within the first month or so... Rico Henry at Brentford.  Just been through the PL injury list and there's 5 further confirmed ACLs, 1 confirmed MCL and 2 unnamed long term knees injuries.  So 11 ACLs already this season, not this calendar year.

Currently still off work with an undiagnosed shoulder injury so have plenty of time and empathy for those suffering with joint issues.

ACL injuries are generally down to excessive lateral hyperextension (or the knee bending sideways, in or out). Traditionally the football version of that is the Wesley scenario where a player has a planted foot and takes a heavy impact near their knee.

What we're seeing more recently is far more occurances without the impact element so it's created by a shift in the centre of gravity which means the lower leg isn't supporting the bodt weight above and that creates the force instead.

No one fully understands why this is happening (and specifically why it's so much more common in the womens game) but, for me, the 3 main things we need to look at are the boots, the pitches and dietary changes. I don't claim to have anytihng like enough knowledge to pick one or specify why I see those as the key areas but they are the 3 things that could be involved which have seen massive changes in the last 20-30 years.

Is it not possible it's also partly down to the players becoming ever more athletic, and their movements becoming ever more explosive? Add studded boots into the equation and the average player turning and sprinting today is almost certainly doing it with WAY more force than the average player of 20 years ago?

[Rigadon]

..the amount of games too maybe?

[ChicagoLion]

I think the pitches are a significant factor, whereas before your stud would slide through the turf if there was significant power transmitted through the leg, now you see the boots lock into the turf.
It the lock occurs with the knee set,  excessive pressure becomes focussed on the knee area.

[paul_e]

Diet seems the least likely of those to me. Diets are much more closely controlled and designed to aid performance. Boots are getting lighter and the changes in stud shape was part of the issue with the Great Metatarsal Debacle of the early 2000s. Potentially training levels and techniques have changed and might be an influence. It’s certainly not increased contact in on field challenges, I think that’s safe to say.

I agree, I'd be looking at the boots very closely and that it isn't due to changes in tackle intensity or anything aimilar. I don't think it'll be down to training levels or techniques because, as has been said a few times, to create the sort of fatigue levels needed to increase the risks of knee issues you also see a spike in ankle, calf and hamstring problems (because they'd all be affected in ther same way) and that doesn't seem to have happened.

The reason I mention diet at all though is because of how closely controlled it is, even if that seems backwards, it's easily bottom of the list for me.

When I mention pitches I mostly mean in how heavily watered they are and how they're handling that water. We've all watched players slipping and losing their footing at key moments and I wonder if the wet pitches combined with changes to boots/studs has created  less stable footings for players which is causing small unintentional movements when players are going 100% and it's creating the shifts in balance that lead to the problems.

[OCD]

But then you would see the problem across the board, and not just localised to one club. And all 3 have happened at different locations.

[danno]

..the amount of games too maybe?

I think this is the most boring and likely explanation. Both us and Newcastle have European football for the first time in ages and our managers don’t tend to make lots of changes to the starting lineup from game to game. It can’t be coincidence that this season both clubs have had lots of injuries to contend with.

[paul_e]

But then you would see the problem across the board, and not just localised to one club. And all 3 have happened at different locations.

Not if it's combination of boots and how heavily watered pitches are, almost every club has sprinklers gonig for ages before kick off in most conditions.

[OCD]

Then how have there only been 4/5 ACL injuries in the last 2 seasons but we've had 3, 2 of which before a heavy fixture schedule has even started.

I think the most boring and likely explanation is probably just bad luck.

[paul_e]

Then how have there only been 4/5 ACL injuries in the last 2 seasons but we've had 3, 2 of which before a heavy fixture schedule has even started.

I think the most boring and likely explanation is probably just bad luck.

Real Madrid have had 3 this year. Arsenal have 2. There have been about 10 in the WSL.

All of this has already been mentioned on this thread.

I agree that the fact that a lot of those were early in the season (when watering of pitches is far more common) means training is less likely to be the issue.

[Ian.]

I think it’s just bad luck and nothing more controversial than that.

[Dante Lavelli]

Pitches now have a fabric mesh that the grass grows through. Clearly no expert but this might increase the likelihood that the studs get “stuck”.

[Lastfootstamper]

Have we not had this type of pitch for a while, though? I don't see why anybody's looking for reasons beyond us being cursed, frankly.

[OCD]

Then how have there only been 4/5 ACL injuries in the last 2 seasons but we've had 3, 2 of which before a heavy fixture schedule has even started.

I think the most boring and likely explanation is probably just bad luck.

Real Madrid have had 3 this year. Arsenal have 2. There have been about 10 in the WSL.

All of this has already been mentioned on this thread.

I agree that the fact that a lot of those were early in the season (when watering of pitches is far more common) means training is less likely to be the issue.

The prevalence of ACL injuries in the women's game makes that a separate discussion for me. A discussion that I've seen suggestions made of menstrual cycle and lack of strength training.