And the victory against the St. Lou– I mean Los Angeles Rams, felt a little different. I’ll preface and say I am a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. I was starting to believe in the Eagles at least being disruptors in the NFC Playoff picture. But that quickly faded 10 minutes after he walked off the field Sunday evening and confirmed Monday afternoon, Carson Wentz has torn his left anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the remainder of the season.
The injury was hard to spot at first. But as they kept showing the replay, you think okay maybe Mark Barron caught his left knee but you certainly didn’t think it was a torn ACL. Thankfully he didn’t tear his medial meniscus or his medial collateral ligament (tibial collateral ligament). He did limp back to huddle and I’m think at worst he sprained his knee, but I didn’t think anything torn. But it’s been confirmed. His timetable 9-12 months. But good news football fans, according to Dr. Klapper, of FOX Sports 1, he may recover faster.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz should recover from his ACL injury quicker than usual.@DrRobertKlapper explains why: pic.twitter.com/T7hdi8q3jz
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 12, 2017
I think one of the biggest surprises was how quickly it was reported that Carson Wentz tore his ACL. Adam Schefter of ESPN, reported it very quickly after the initial occurred. The reason they can check quickly is through orthopedic testing, whether they used the Pivot Shift Test or Anterior Drawer Test (two common orthopedic tests that MDs, PTs, and yes DCs can use). MRI confirms where the tear is and how severe the tear is.
Keep in mind, depending on where the ACL is torn, what they use to replace his ACL with, and if there was any additional damage (avulsions) will affect the timetable for return.
Remember the function of the ACL is to prevent translation of the Tibia. So whether there is blunt trauma to the knee that produces excessive hyperextension of the knee or a planted leg twisted knee component, the ACL is likely to tear.
What I Could Do?
For now not much. Swelling needs to come down before they start surgery. Carson has probably rehabilitation to strengthen the hips, quadriceps, and hamstrings prior to going under the knife. For when he’s done surgery, I can help with the soft tissue that occurs. Whether I’m trying to help with restoring knee range of motion or maintain hip and ankle range of motion, I can help with the manual component.
The initial stages of rehabilitation will focus on restoring range of motion and building quadriceps strength and stability. But becoming too focused on the knee and quadriceps itself could prevent us from focusing up and down the chain. Don’t forget to soft tissue components should also focus on the hip rotators (glutes), hip extensors (hamstrings and glutes), and accessory knee flexors (hamstrings and calf muscles).
Finally, as he continues to progress gets through his checks and balances, he will phase into general physical preparation which focuses on squats, deadlifts, and lunges. Not only working flexion and extension is important but working side to side and rotational strength around the hip is also just as important. Once he builds strength in the three different planes of motion: sagittal, frontal, and transverse then do I believe he can transition to specific football training, especially when it comes to lower body football specific training (drop backs, rolling out, stepping up, and sliding left and right).
Happy Healings!