Marca: Even if the cruciate ligament of Rodri and Garvey is recovered, it may not reach its previous level.

Recently, "Marca" talked about the cruciate ligament injuries suffered by Rodri, Carvajal and Garvey. They said that the recovery process of such injuries is full of uncertainty and complications.

Rodri was injured again in last Sunday's game against Brentford. This was his first game back after knee surgery, but the problem occurred again in the 22nd minute. Meanwhile, Carvajal was injured again with a muscle problem and is expected to miss a month, while Garvey also had to undergo surgery due to a recurrence of an old injury on his right knee.

These three recent cases have once again drawn attention to anterior cruciate ligament tears. This injury is not only serious, but the recovery process is full of uncertainty and complications, often resulting in players unable to return to their original level within the expected time.

Since Rodri was injured on September 22 last year, he has only played 12 times, of which only two played the full game. Carvajal suffered a triple ligament tear on October 5 last year and has only played in eight games, one of which was complete. Garvey has played a total of 44 games since being injured on November 19, 2023, but most of them came on the bench and only played the full game four times.

Dr. Pedro Ripoll, a knee expert, pointed out: "Anterior cruciate ligament injury is still a very serious injury, and about 30% of high-level athletes cannot fully return to their original level." He also emphasized that it takes about eight months to "ligamentize" the reconstructed ligament, and premature mechanical stress may cause it to relax.

In addition, Dr. Ripoll also refuted the misconception of the so-called "six-month recovery period." He believes recovery from an ACL tear alone would take at least nine months, and possibly a year if it's accompanied by other injuries. Over the past eight seasons, 77 players in La Liga have suffered ACL tears, with recovery times ranging from more than 200 days to nearly 400 days for each.

Dr. Ripoll explained that this kind of injury completely changes the body dynamics of an athlete: "The knee joint behaves completely differently after surgery, and the body must adapt to the new way of joint movement. Once the transplanted ligaments mature, the brain's protective mechanisms and connections to the knee joint also need to be re-established. The knee joint behaves differently after surgery, which may cause other joints and Muscle problem."

So, what is the difference in the "new knee" after surgery: "The ACL reconstruction we currently perform does not completely replicate the structure of the original ligament, because the original ligament is composed of two bundles, while the transplanted ligament usually has only one bundle. In addition, the original ligament has a more direct connection to the brain, and the transplanted ligament does not have this connection."