Neymar picks up an ACL injury vs Uruguay in October 2023
In October last year, Neymar left the pitch in tears after he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee while on international duty.
The 31-year-old’s club Al-Hilal confirmed via a post on X that the forward will be going through surgery and a treatment program. It is now March 2024, and Neymar still has not returned to professional football. It is reported that the player will be sidelined until August this year before he can return to playing football again; about 10 months after the injury.
What is an ACL injury?
image from vectormine.com
To understand what an ACL injury is, we must first understand what the ACL is and what it does. The ACL is a piece of tissue that joins the thigh bone to the shin bone at the knee joint to maintain stability and support.
It’s like a rope that joins the thigh bone to the shin bone so that it can be stable. Damage to this rope is what results in an ACL injury.
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury occurs when a person damages their ACL. It can come in different forms ranging from a stretch to a tiny tear to a full-blown rupture of the ligament.
image from vectormine.com
It is very common among footballers and in other sports like basketball, skiing, and even tennis and it can be career-defining for some athletes. It occurs in sports that require a lot of running, making sharp turns, and changing directions very quickly like dribbling or cutting in football.
Why is it so common among footballers?
Neymar at Al-Hilal
Football as a sport involves a lot of sharp movements like cutting, dribbling, and breaking into a sprint which puts immense pressure and strain on the ACL predisposing it to injury.
ACL injuries are some of the worst injuries a player can experience. It can put a player out of the game for up to a year and even when the player returns, he may never play as well as he used to before the injury.
How does an ACL injury feel for the player?
Immediately following the injury, the player is in a lot of pain and may experience swelling in the affected knee. A loud pop heard by the player usually signals an ACL tear and the player will not be able to play, even experiencing difficulty walking. The player’s range of motion with the knees may also become limited.
While it must be diagnosed by a professional, if a player hears a loud pop in his knee, and immediately has pain and difficulty walking or continuing the match to the point of limping off or being stretchered off, it points to a potential ACL injury pending confirmation by the professionals.
How is an ACL injury treated?
ACL reconstructive surgery
Usually, the player has to undergo surgery to have the ACL repaired. This is currently the best and most effective therapy for the injury and it would sometimes involve reconstructing and reattaching the ACL to the bones.
The procedure is then followed by months of physiotherapy and rehabilitation to allow the knee to heal properly and as much as possible prevent a recurrence of the injury.
How long does an ACL injury take to heal?
An ACL injury may keep a player out for up to a year depending on the severity. A partial tear of the ACL may heal in as short as three months while a full rupture that needs surgery may take up to nine months to heal. This is why Neymar will not feature in the Copa America and will probably not be playing football till August this year.
The surgery is the short part, the healing, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation take the chunk of the time needed for a player to return to full-match fitness. The surgery is completed in a day but the rehabilitation and physiotherapy usually take months.
Why does it take so long?
Healing in the body requires blood supply but unfortunately, ligaments generally receive relatively little blood flow which slows down healing and extends recovery time.
How can this affect the player?
Injuries usually have wide-reaching effects on players extending from just their physical abilities to even their mental state. Being out of the game for months can damage a player’s mentality and even push the player into depression.
In addition to that, there is a risk of a recurrence. As many as one in five people who have ACL reconstructive surgery have a recurrence of the injury.
Even when the player returns to playing regularly, the risk of reinjury may prevent the player from fully expressing themselves on the pitch in terms of dribbling and all the flair that has become synonymous with some players. Perhaps Neymar won’t be dribbling or completing take-on as much when he returns to football.
What to expect from a player with an ACL injury
The player will certainly be out for months; at least six months depending on the severity of the injury.
The player will undergo a long period of healing and physiotherapy which can be quite painful.
The player will not be able to play full matches immediately after he returns. He will be eased into regular play little by little to allow the knee to adjust and reduce the chance of injury.
Sadly, the truth is, the player who comes back from injury may not be the same player he was before he suffered the injury. He may change his entire style of play to reduce the risk of injury. He may favor passing more than dribbling and generally avoid techniques that put pressure on the knee.
While we hope that Neymar makes a full recovery and returns to playing the way he did before the injury, we must also be aware that some players never fully recover and it may signal the end of their careers.