In 2011, Ajayi suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and in that same injury, he also damaged his meniscus. The role of the meniscus in the knee is help dissipate forces during things like walking, running, and jumping so that the knee joint itself (the articulation between the femur and tibia) doesn’t have to take on all of the forces. Think of it like a shock absorber. With damage to the meniscus, the knee’s ability to withstand these forces becomes less efficient, and the athlete must rely more heavily on surrounding musculature and the bony surfaces of the joint. Given that Ajayi’s legs are as thick as my torso, I don’t think the muscles are the issue here. Let’s dive a little deeper into the bony surfaces of the knee.
The knee joint is formed by the articulation between the bottom of the femur (thigh bone) and the top of the tibia (shin bone). Like most joints in the body, the femur and tibia are lined with articular cartilage, which allows the joint to move more smoothly when you bend and straighten your knee. Over time, we all get a little bit of wear and tear on the cartilage in our knees, and this is a normal part of aging. However, this often doesn’t usually happen until we reach the 5th or 6th decade of life. With damage to the cartilage, the joint begins to break down slowly and this can lead to pain, swelling, and decreased functional use of the knee – commonly known as osteoarthritis (OA) or simply, arthritis.
At Ajayi’s age of 23, you wouldn’t necessarily expect there to be any cartilage damage to his knees. Ehh, not so fast. Some studies suggest that as many as 80% of ACL injured knees may demonstrate radiographic (x-ray) evidence of OA at 5 to 15 years after initial injury, especially with concomitant meniscal damage.
