The long and winding road...

Michael Owen is back in black, and white. He no longer needs crutches and was shown doing some knee exercises with a football at his feet on SkySports News the other day. So if he can do that now, why is he out for so long? I understand that his knee won't be ready for full use for a while because he will have lost a lot of strength in his legs, but if they operation is done, surely it is done...

"The Anterior Cruciate Ligament lies deep within the knee joint, connecting the thigh bone with the shin bone. Its function is to prevent excessive forward movement of the shin in relation to the thigh and also to prevent excessive rotation at the knee joint. The ACL can be injured in several different ways, most notably by landing from a jump onto a bent knee then twisting, or landing on a knee that is over-extended. In collision sports, direct contact of the knee from opponents can cause damage to the ACL."

I have read that there is not much pain involved in the whole thing. When the ligament snaps, thats all you feel, a snap. A player may feel able to continue playing until the ACL is actually put under strain, which would then cause the knee cap to become seriously unstable.

In the case of individuals who are involved in a high level of sport where a degree of instability is functionally unacceptable, surgical reconstruction of the ligament is the surest way to restore normal function. After the surgery takes place, the knee is not stable until five or six months afterwards. So hopefully we can expect our arguably most key player back in his boots for March, maybe returning to play in April.

This will take looong time.