Bengals’ Nick Williams Slated For Surgery

Nick Williams’ season could be over three months before it was to begin. The 24-year old running back for the Cincinnati Bengals will undergo surgery next week to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.

The 1999 5th round draft pick received the injury to his knee last week during minicamp. After receiving several opinions, he has opted to get the surgery over with and begin rehabilitating the knee, rather than playing through the season without the surgery and seeing how the knee holds.

The ACL is one of four ligaments that stabilize the knee joint. This ligament runs from the back of the femur, or the thighbone, to the front of the tibia, or the shinbone, and prevents the tibia from moving too far forward. Fast running and quick lateral movements are often responsible for ACL tears. As a full back, these are exactly the kinds of moves that Williams needs to be able to complete.

With the surgery this spring, Williams’s rehabilitation process will likely cause him to miss next season. Williams is expected to make a full recovery.

Additional information on ACL injuries, surgeries, and recoveries.

Read a technology story about a program designed to lessen athletes’ chances of sustaining an ACL tear.

Read an interview with a leading orthopaedic surgeon:

• Dr. Michael Ciccotti: Investigating ACL Injuries in Female Athletes.
• Dr. Peter Fowler: Beyond the Ligament in ACL Injury.
• Dr. John Fulkerson : The Search for a Better ACL Graft.
• Dr. Frank Noyes: Solving the Puzzles of the Knee.
• Dr. Leo Pinczeski: Innovator in ACL Reconstruction.

Read the accounts of real people who have suffered ACL injuries:

• A Long Road to Healing.
• Carried Out of Action.
• Smooth Sailing Ahead.

Participate in an ACL forum.