(BAY VILLAGE, Ohio) – It was a bright sunny Saturday morning in June of 2023 along the shores of the most southern Great Lake of Lake Erie near Cleveland. 15-year-old Bay Village (Ohio) High School freshman lacrosse player (and future golfer) Jill Tennant and her family were packing for a big tournament in Philadelphia. Jill arrived in Pennsylvania having an unstoppable lacrosse season, until it stopped. It was only 10 minutes into the game when two players collided with Jill who instantly tore her ACL in her left leg. Jill’s season was over and perhaps her days of playing the sport she loves of lacrosse. Her future major accomplishment as a golfer wasn’t even in sight.
“Everyone talks about how hard it is physically to come back from an ACL tear, but for me the mental part was the biggest barrier,” Jill said. No games for Jill, no dances, no cross-country and starting future hobbies like golf were all suddenly nixed. Her sophomore summer was all about surgery and strenuous physical therapy. Then came another ACL tear for Jill playing lacrosse her junior year. ”I had to start physical therapy from square one, especially in the middle of my recovery when it became harder to push through,” Jill added. “The first couple of seconds when I ruptured my ACL, it didn’t hurt, but it was so alarming because I heard the loud snap of my ACL in my other leg, then the pain radiated throughout my body,” Jill said.
ACL TEARS IN TEEN GIRLS ARE “SOARING”
A study between 2007 and 2022 by the National ACL Injury Coalition found a 32% increase in ACL tears among girl athletes between the ages of 14 and 18, while there was a 14% increase in boys in the same age bracket. Cleveland Clinic doctors say ACL injuries in high school girls are “soaring.” “This ACL trend with female participation in youth sports continues to dramatically increase along with the expansion of college and professional athletic programs,” according to Cleveland Clinic Orthopedic Surgeons Michael Scarcella, MD, and Kurt Spindler, MD. Medical experts also say the ever-growing trend of specializing in just one stop-and-go sport like lacrosse and volleyball with all of their sudden twists and turns year-round fatigues the same muscles and ligaments over and over leading to a higher risk of injury. However, doctors say playing multiple sports, whether organized or pick-up, work and strengthen different muscles reducing risk of injury.
MAIN SPORTS FOR TEEN GIRL ACL RUPTURES
Experts say ACL injuries are mainly seen in teen females playing soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, and basketball. These sports are played by both boys and girls. But Spindler and his colleagues found that the risk of ACL injuries in girls is greater than twice that of boys playing the same sports 1.88 in girls and 0.87 in boys per 10,000 athlete exposures.
ACL INJURIES IN GOLFERS ARE VERY RARE, BUT HERE’S HOW IT CAN HAPPEN
Research shows ACL tears are extremely rare in golfers, but ACL ruptures from other sports make getting back on the golf course a difficult journey due to an average physical rehab of up to one year. All of which makes what Jill did her senior year in high school regarding golf even more remarkable, but that makes for a great ending to her story. Don’t skip ahead! When golfers do injure their ACL, it’s usually from slipping on wet grass while swinging a golf club hard. PGA Pros emphasize proper footwear and traction as part of swing stability and injury prevention.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU SWITCH OUT YOUR GOLF CLEATS?
According to golf equipment manufacturers, you should change your golf cleats out every 15 to 20 rounds. While golf shoes can be pricey, Directors of Golf at Ohio area courses say some golfers alternate between different pairs of golf shoes which extends the life of the cleats.
HOW HIPS AND TORQUE PLAY A ROLE IN TEEN GIRLS GETTING ACL TEARS
It’s a sudden twist and pivot in sports like soccer, lacrosse and volleyball which put a strain on ACL’s. “Risk factors include the differences in landing mechanics seen in girls compared to boys,” according to Dr. Jonathan Napolitano, Sports Medicine Physician with Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “Compared to males, females typically exhibit less activation of the gluteal muscles contributing to increased rotation of the hips and unstable motion and torque at the knee,” he said. “Additionally, female athletes demonstrate an imbalance of the hamstring to quadricep muscle activation compared to males. Together those forces contribute to increased risk of ACL injuries in girls,” Napolitano noted.
“Research shows athletes, especially female athletes, have reduced rates of lower body sports injuries if they participate in pre-season and in-season neuromuscular training,” according to Dr. Lutul Farrow, a surgeon with the Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation and Sports Therapy Department. Farrow performed Jill’s surgery. “This training targets strengthening and muscle control to promote safer movement patterns. It’s called ‘Match Fit’ and focuses on field sports specifically like lacrosse. Any athlete can sign up for these programs individually or as a team,” Farrow said.
PRACTICE LANDINGS HELP IN SUDDEN STOP-AND-GO SPORTS
Landing mechanics can be improved. “Muscle imbalance and strength decrease the risk of ACL injuries. These programs are known as ACL Prevention Programs,” Napolitano said, “Plyometric training improves the ability to generate rapid muscle forces over shorter periods of time, balance exercises, and stretching routines reduce risk of ACL injury significantly in female athletes.” Napolitano said, “Typical return to play after ACL reconstruction is between 9 to 12 months and is based on improved strength, neuromuscular control and mental readiness. Plus, physical therapy can take longer to have an athlete return to a fast moving sport like lacrosse,” said Cleveland Clinic Physical Trainer Carrie Hirschauer.
SECOND ACL TEAR BRINGS TEARS TO JILL’S MOM
“The final phase of physical therapy involves specific ways to know when an athlete like Jill can get back on the field,” said Hilary Hewkin, Bay High School’s Athletic Trainer. “We do functionality testing which includes hop tests, range of motion and agility measures. Jill is resilient, dedicated to recovery, and she never complained,“ Hewkin said. “Jill is resilient, but her second ACL tear was just heart-wrenching and it made me a little nauseous, because I knew and Jill knew what it was immediately,” said Jill’s mom Jeri Tennant. “We’re incredibly proud of how Jill has weathered all of this.”
IMPORTANCE OF SEEING A THERAPIST
“The physical and mental aspects of two ACL tears were very tough, so Jill saw a therapist who also happened to play and coach college lacrosse,” said Jill’s dad Tom Tennant. “Jill worked with a counselor at Sharpen Skills Training in Brunswick, Ohio. “They have Mental Performance Coaching which is very helpful,” he said. Jill found the mental health and well being aspect of her journey so helpful that she and two fellow athletes founded their high school’s chapter of ‘Morgan’s Message,’ which promotes support of student-athlete’s mental health and where to seek help for physical and mental health challenges in athletics. “I’m so proud of Jill and I love that she’s persevered through her injuries to have a successful high school career,” Jill’s dad Tom said. “Now we get four more years watching her play at Otterbein University near Columbus which is amazing. It’s a gift,” Tom added.
JILL’S ADVICE
Jill shared these words of wisdom. “The advice I have for athletes going through physical and mental hurdles of an injury is to listen to what your physical therapist tells you to do. If someone tells you not to talk about how a season-ending injury affects you, do not listen to them. Talk about it however much you want, it helps.”
Jill’s mental toughness and dedication to physical therapy paid off by returning to play lacrosse her senior year for the Rockets at Bay Village High School and returning to the national lacrosse tournament scene with her teammates in South Carolina just this past April.
JILL’S COMEBACK STORY COMPLETE WITH GOLF LONG-SHOT
Jill’s parents, coaches, doctors and trainers often use the word “resilient” when talking about Jill. How resilient is she? She tried out for the Bay Village High School Golf Team this year as a senior, after nearly two years of physical and mental rehab from those two grueling ACL lacrosse injuries. Jill didn’t play golf until after both of her ACL tears. Jill not only made the golf team…her coaches and teammates named her ‘Rookie of the Year.” Now, that’s “resilient!”