Injury in sports is something every athlete deals with. Unfortunately, females deal with it more than males.

As I recover from a recent ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injury and the May 14 surgery, I have been in the Williston training room every afternoon doing physical therapy. I see all the injuries our Williston athletes have, both big and small.

Injury is a risks in all sports, some more than others. One of the most devastating injuries for any athlete is an ACL tear. ACLs take 9-12 months of hard work and physical therapy to heal and be ready to return to play. Females are up to eight times more likely to tear their ACL than their male counterparts, according to Northwesternmedicine.org.

Part of the reason females are said to have a higher ACL tear rate is because of the menstrual cycle, according to a yearlong study FIFA (Fédération International de Football Association) did on females rupturing their Anterior Cruciate Ligament and being in their menstrual cycle. The research team specifically monitored estrogen and progesterone levels — hormones previously linked to increased ligament laxity and decreased neuromuscular reaction times — while cross-referencing against physical performance data.

The FIFA study found when females are on their periods, they have high estrogen levels and that causes ligament laxity which puts the ACL in a vulnerable state and more at risk to be injured. This is an epidemic in athletics. Female athletes cannot take a week off every time their periods comes. There are prevention tactics, however, the rate of ACL tears in women’s sports is still very high.

Jayme Cerasuolo is a senior boarding student from Hampden, Mass. She has had a lot of injury and adversity to fight through in recent years, includingh major knee injury. “I’ve tore my ACL,MCL, Meniscus, MCL, broke my tibia and fibula and few more things,” she said.

Jayme tore her ACL in 2023 at Easthampton High School during a lacrosse game; she has been affected mentally and physically by these injuries.

“I have had many surgery that I will never fully recover from all the work done to my knee,” she said. “Mentally, [I’ve been] badly scared to play sports it’s sad sitting on the side line, and hard if you’re not 100%.”

At the end of the day, despite the pain and the setbacks, Jayme said she would not change anything.

“It lead me to many good places like here, and where I am going to college, and it taught me a lot about being a good teammate and a leader,” she said, before adding, “but it did not help me athletically.”

Melissa Brousseau, Associate Director of Athletics, sees injured athletes every day in the training room.

“Injuries are always difficult to navigate mentally,” she told The Willistonian. “In fact, I would say it’s even harder with certain injuries that are not apparent visually (concussions). The main contributing reason, athletes link their identity with their sport, their social support is their team and regular exercise also aids positive mental health (physiologically).”

Brousseau said some athletes may be reticent to seek help even when they need it.

“There can also be a stigma with athletes or within some circles regarding asking for help as weak,” she said. “The loss of identity, routine and feeling of letting those around you down are the most common challenges I have seen.”

Brousseau believes that concussions are one of the hardest injuries for athletes, and ACL tears follow right behind.

“Any injury that will separate you from your team has the biggest negative impact on students in my perspective,” she said. “That’s why rehab is so positive & being with the team for film, activities, etc. However, joining a team while injured can also add stress to the athlete who cannot play. I think concussion has the biggest impact on students because there are several areas that overlap mental health profiles such as, but not limited to cognitive/classroom performance, anxiety/depression and migraines.”

Brousseau believes injuries  not visible to the eye are some of the hardest to recover from.

“Your friends, teammates, coaches, family can’t ‘see’ the injury, and each concussion is like a snowflake – each one is different,” she said. “The other injury that has the biggest impact is one that will end your career completely.”

Brousseau thinks high school injuries of all kids are traumatic for student athletes, especially if they create uncertainty or have a “potential impact on acceptance, loss of position and even scholarship” in college.

“I have not seen that personally happen, but it is scary to navigate,” she said.

Brousseau explained how grief ties into how well athletes recovery.

Injuries that require significant lifestyle changes can actually trigger the five stages of grief – Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Anger. EACH injury has its own trajectory and emotions will ebb and flow between these grief stages,” she explained.

“The non-linear nature is a lot to navigate and no one should do this alone. That’s why I will always recommend supports, counseling and even sport psychologist to all athletes and especially those who are injured facing a change of identity & routine. I also think following athletes on social media who have similar injuries (Paige Beukers when she had her ACL recovery) can be a great outlet to not feeling isolated,” she said

Many athletes get injured and that can affect them mentally and physically. According to the National institute of Health 34%-40% of ACL reconstruction patients who identify with their sports have post reconstruction depression.  There is an even higher risks with females who struggle with post surgical depression.

Not only do athletes struggle with mental blocks and depression after surgery, they continue to struggle while they return to play. According to the National Institute of Health 23% of female athletes sustained a second ACL injury (graft rupture or a contralateral injury) within two years of surgery.

Ansel Garvey, Williston’s Athletic Trainer, thinks all injuries impact mental health, but “the severity and type of injury will typically navigate the effects of each individuals mental response, which makes each injury so unique.”

Garvey thinks it is difficult for athletes with major injury’s watch their peers participate in sport.

“There is no doubt that it can be exceptionally challenging for athletes with major injuries watching their peers participate all around them,” he said. “I personally like to keep my space an open, inviting and safe space to all because I feel there are also positive aspects to athletes with major injuries being in there.”

Garvey believes it is common and helpful for athletes to bond over injury.

“Sometimes it allows for open communication, sometimes just hope for a successful return,” he said. “t is not uncommon that athletes bond over injuries, and especially past injuries and recoveries. I often find that athletes that are struggling are able to lift each other up and it can be so beneficial at any stage in an athletes recovery process.”