The devastating uptick in sports injuries
As time has progressed, the world has seen a devastating spike in sports injuries. Along with them being more common, they are becoming increasingly more severe as well. This not only impacts the athlete, but also their friends, family, and team. Far too many of these injuries are ruining the lives of those who were once extremely motivated individuals who were committed to perfecting their craft.
In the past several years, the world has been stunned by many athletic injuries which run rampant around the news. Most notably, a former National Hockey League (NHL) player, Adam Johnson, passed away after an on-ice injury. The former Pittsburgh Penguin was playing in a league based out of Great Britain when disaster struck. In a freak accident, a player's skate caught his neck, leading to injuries which would ultimately lead to his passing. While it was a very rare accident, it seems rather preventable in the future. Players at all levels are being encouraged to wear a neck guard of some kind, which seems simple enough. Many hockey players are adamantly against it, claiming that it is uncomfortable and difficult to play in. Their pushback could easily allow this to happen again, especially as the sport becomes more physical.
Some injuries are rather unpreventable, such as the terrifying injury that struck Bills defender Damar Hamlin. In early January, Hamlin took a blow to the chest, causing him to suffer cardiac arrest due to commotio cordis. Some have said that increased chest protection would have prevented the horrifying accident; many experts have chimed in to say that Hamlin’s injury was unpreventable. Despite being inches away from death, Hamlin returned to play for the 2023 season. His injury shocked the world, and his quick recovery has proven to be even more surprising.
The injury that has plagued football for years, and is on the rise, is anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and other knee injuries. Simply put, players are just too big and too fast in 2023. Ligaments are proportional to one’s tibia, not their weight or muscle mass. As athletes get bigger and are sculpted into athletic specimens, their ligaments remain the same size as someone half their weight but the same height. Six-foot, 225-pound running backs may look extremely intimidating, but the reality is that they are adding more weight on their knees which are not made to support that mass, especially when they are being hit by someone even bigger at the knees. The sad truth is that society’s image of the perfect athlete is actually in a very dangerous spot where they are incredibly susceptible to one of the most common and lingering injuries.
Sports injuries are not going anywhere, despite the constant efforts by their respective leagues. Technology will only go so far in the fight for player safety, many athletic injuries are unpreventable. In some cases, such as the incident with Adam Johnson, a simple solution has presented itself, but safety should always be a top priority within every sport.
Thumbnail Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons