Should my daughter return to soccer?

by Cindy
(Massachusetts)

My daughter is 16 and has had two knee surgeries(both injuries are soccer related)- February 20th, 2007 she had ACL reconstruction and on May 6, 2008 she had a medial meniscus repair done on the same knee.

She is now 9 weeks post-op and seems to be recovering well. She goes to physical therapy 2 times a week and works out at the gym 3 times a week on her own.

My question is whether or not she should try and return to play soccer her senior year-double sessions will be starting the end of August-or is it time to "hang" up her cleats?

Do you know of other athletes that have returned to soccer that have had similar injuries to the knee? Is the percentage of reinjuring the knee to high to risk it?

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.

Cindy

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Should my daughter return to soccer?

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Jul 20, 2008
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by: Bart - SII

If she goes through the rehabilitation process and gets her strength back up, then she shouldn't be any more prone to re-injury than any one else. If she goes back without restoring full strength and muscle control, she will be more likely to injure her knee.

I have had countless patients who return to soccer activities after both an ACL and meniscus surgeries and they have all done fine...They all went through the rehab process, and most of them felt like they were better conditioned after the surgeries than they were before injury.

Ultimately it comes down to a personal decision, weighing the risks of re-injury with the benefits of continuing to play.

Hope this helps - comment back with other questions