Injuries occur all the time in our everyday lives. While most encounters of injuries occur in sports or some sort of athletics, an injury can occur at any time. Injuries can affect a person for a couple of days, weeks or months. However,  injuries sometimes last a lifetime.

For athletes, the most common injuries usually involve ankles and knees. Unfortunately, ACL tears are extremely common.

That is the case for me.

An estimated 100,000-200,000 people a year tear their ACL in the United States.

I have had several experiences with injuries. I have tore my ACL in both knees. I have missed my junior year of sports, and most likely will be missing most of senior year. I will have screws in both knees for the rest of my life. Missing my junior and senior year of athletics is something that will definitely haunt me forever.

Recovery can be slow and painful at times. Physical therapy was very stressful. Right after waking up from surgery, I was forced to walk a flight of stairs. I had to make it to the top and back down in order to go home. Once I did it, they allowed me to go home, but then I was forced to do physical therapy on my own at home. It was not fun with all the bending, stretching and weight I had to put on it.

According to several studies, ACL injuries have become increasingly common over the past 20 years. While girls are much more likely to tear an ACL, they are still fairly common with males.

I am not the only one that has had his share of injuries.

Junior John Walls said, “I broke my right ankle once, had a whole knee replacement, broke both wrists, cracked my sternum and separated my shoulder from my collar bone.”

Walls’ shoulder was separated while wrestling when he still lived in Kentucky. Hopefully, Walls will stay healthy for his senior year.

Junior Ethan Berry had an injury that hindered him during football.

Berry said, “ I broke 4 bones in my foot, and suffered from lisfranc.”

Lisfranc is another term used when you tear every tendon in your foot.

Junior Dylan Michel also tore his ACL and meniscus. Basketball players Taylor Jansen and Alyssa Copeland have also tore their ACL. Jansen has had surgery on both of her knees. Several other Windsor athletes have had similar fates. 

The worst part of the injuries is not necessarily the pain of the injury–it’s missing time on the field and mat. I’ve missed my entire junior year of athletics–I missed football, wrestling and track. Unfortunately, I may be missing most of my senior year as well. Hopefully, I’ll get to finish my career as an athlete and not a spectator.