Dolphin fans were so excited when the Rams traded Jalen Ramsey. Miami is a Super Bowl hopeful team this year with reason. The Miami Dolphins are home to some of the best athletes in the NFL and have been maturing as a team over the last few years in a way that is evident to anyone watching.
Miami acquired potentially the best cornerback in the NFL last March. Unfortunately, he had to undergo a full meniscus repair on his left knee this summer. Even more unfortunate, Jalen Ramsey will most likely not return to play until December according to NFL.com and other sources.
Ramsey suffered a non contact ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury during practice. The injury occurred when he was covering Tyreek Hill during an 11-11 drill. While the ACL was damaged, it was not torn. Additionally there was no evidence of further damage to the knee at the time of surgery. Hopefully this means not only a speedy recovery but a complete recovery and minimized risk of reinjury.
Image – Yahoo Sports
Some fans really might not understand a non contact injury as well as a contact injury. We all can see how crashing into another player, players, field, or wall etc. will result in broken bones and dislocated joints. Violent forces create destruction.
Less “in your face” are injuries from overuse and overtraining, mental health effects on performance, and factors that contribute to a non-contact ACL injury like Ramsey had.
Factors like too much force from the quadriceps, lack of force in the hamstrings, angle of the knee, or too much flexion in the hip can all lead to ACL injury, (Boden, Sheehan, Torg, Hewett, 2010). The foot striking the ground flat footed or running with the knee that is “twisted”, like in quick change of direction maneuvers, can also cause this injury.
Prevention of injuries like this is greatly increased by training proper body mechanics, correct alignment. The right strength and conditioning programs will consider injury risks like these. For football players not only strength and plyometrics (jumping ect.) but also balance, flexibility, and proprioception (knowing where you are in space without looking), (Lehmen, 2011).
We will have to wait to watch Ramsey on the field this year. Meanwhile, we are looking forward to a great start to the football season and wish Jalen a full recovery.
References:
Boden BP, Sheehan FT, Torg JS, Hewett TE. (2010) Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries: mechanisms and risk factors. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. Sep;18(9):520-7. doi: 10.5435/00124635-201009000-00003.
Lehmen, D. (2011) Football players: how to prevent ACL injuries. US Center for Sports Medicine. 314.909.1666
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