Knee injuries devastating

NFL players obviously know the risks they take every time they suit up and take the field. Sixty minutes of hard hitting war leads to injuries ranging from small to permanent.\n But this season the injuries that are decimating players and teams seem to be centralized around one body part -- the knee. Over the past few years, the knee injury has been the most devastating to NFL, specifically to running backs. It has ended seasons and limited careers.\n Glance at the NFL injury report: Jamal Lewis, Jamal Anderson, Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis, Tyrone Wheatley, Edgerrin James and Marshall Faulk. This could be a list of Pro Bowl electees ordinarily, but this year, they have all spent time out of commission because of knee injuries. \n Robert Smith noticed the trend, and retired from the Minnesota Vikings at age 28, because he decided the risk was simply too high. Running back is certainly not the only position hampered by knee injuries, but those who play the position put more stress on that part of the body than most others. Running backs are required to stop and start quickly. They must also change directions and remain balanced, which means staying low to the ground. Top that off with trying to block defenders sometimes twice their size, and it is easy to see why so many stars are falling.\nPerhaps the scariest aspect of these injuries is its randomness. Most injuries players suffer come from constant strain or repeated abuse. When the knee goes though, it happens quickly and subtlety. One play ends a season, and possibly a career.\nEdgerrin James has never been close to an injury in his NFL career. He hyperextended his knee in a simple attempt to run out the clock against Kansas City. In 1999, Jamal Anderson hurt himself in just the second week of play after his breakout season. He has never been the same. Terrell Davis hurt his knee defending an interception that same year and is still recovering. Jamal Lewis hurt himself in the preseason.\nFor some reason, tearing or damaging the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, which is what all of these players have done, is a setback that doctors and trainers have been unable to mend well enough to return players to past form. An unfortunate complication has risen, because the movements that lead to the injuries are so important to the position. One error though, and the player may never be the same.\nOf course, I am no doctor. I do not want to pretend that I know enough to solve this dilemma. But I can say from a fan's perspective that something must be done. These injuries tend to occur without much outside contact. That is, the hits a player takes during a game are not the problem in this case. \nIt seems that a device a player could wear that would prevent moving the leg in the wrong direction might greatly reduce the amount of knee injuries. Curing the ailment after it occurs is not working yet, so perhaps attempting to prevent it is a better goal to pursue.\nIf no advancements can be made, running backs will continue to fall like flies. The motions they make on every play put them at risk to this devastating injury. Even the best-conditioned, least-injury prone athlete cannot escape the danger of a damaged ACL. \nThe league is losing its top running backs, but hopefully they will search harder for a way to limit the problem, so that the stars can continue to play without such fear, and fans can rely on seeing their favorite players every week.