FACTORS OF ACL TEARS ACL injuries are due to many different factors besides the way a person lands or moves their legs. Some of those factors depend on an athlete’s age and/or the length and frequency they play, whether it be in an actual game or practice. Many athletes begin playing sports around the age of five or six years old. Children that age play sports for the fun of it and also play more than one sport. As a child grows older, they have the influence from their parents or friends on what sports to play and some end up devoting all their time in one sport, which can increase their chance of attaining an injury. Neeru Jayanthi discussed that, “risks of early sports specialization, meaning …show more content…
This will serve as a comparison of female soccer players from the National Level who have torn their ACL more than one time compared to their male counterparts. Here are a few brief synopsis:
• Megan Rapinoe, thirty years old, is a left midfielder for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team and the Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League. Rapinoe has torn her ACL three times, twice in her left leg while in college and once in her right leg, while training with the United States Women’s National Soccer Team.
• Lindsey Tarpley, was a retired member of the United States Women’s Soccer team, who has torn her ACL twice, with the last one being a career ending injury.
• Christie Rampone, a defender for the United States Women’s National Team has torn her ACL once throughout her life time. Christie Rampone played more than one sport leading up to her playing only soccer. In college, she played soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She did not tear her ACL until she focused directly on soccer in 2001, during her first year playing professional