By October, fall sports are in full swing throughout Manlius. Unfortunately, that also means some families may already have heard three letters no athlete or parent wants to hear:

ACL.

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the major stabilizing ligaments of the knee. ACL tears are especially common in young female athletes, with studies reporting injury rates roughly 2–10 times those of males in comparable sports and populations. Differences in anatomy, strength and neuromuscular control, landing and cutting mechanics, and other biological and environmental factors all appear to contribute.

But an ACL tear isn't necessarily inevitable.

Neuromuscular programs, we have utilized since 2006, such as Sportsmetrics™ teach athletes safer jumping, landing, cutting and body-control strategies. Research supports appropriately designed ACL-prevention programs for reducing noncontact serious knee injuries  by 50-75%, particularly in female athletes.

That's why Certified Athletic Trainers, coaches and strength professionals are so important. A properly designed dynamic warm-up isn't simply about getting loose before practice—it can incorporate strength, balance, landing mechanics and neuromuscular control that may reduce injury risk.

October also has special significance for me personally.

On October 29, 2021, I performed the first FDA-cleared BEAR® (Bridge-Enhanced ACL Restoration) procedure in the United States outside a clinical research study. The achievement was subsequently recognized on the floor of Congress.

Traditional ACL reconstruction does not actually repair the torn ACL. Instead, the surgeon creates a replacement ligament using a tendon from the patient's own body or donated tissue.

BEAR takes an entirely different approach: repair rather than replace.

The BEAR Implant provides an environment that allows the two ends of the patient's torn ACL to grow back together, preserving the native ligament.

And the long-term implications may be even more important than getting back to sports.

ACL injury substantially increases the risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Traditional reconstruction can restore stability, but arthritis can still develop years later. In January 2026, FDA-cleared BEAR labeling was expanded to include a reduced risk of radiographically confirmed PTOA compared with hamstring-autograft ACL reconstruction. In the pooled six-year data supporting that labeling, the ACL reconstruction group experienced PTOA at six times the rate of the BEAR group.

That fits directly into our mission at Victory In Motion: End The Need For Knee Replacements By The Year 2043.

Prevent the ACL tear when we can. Repair rather than replace the ligament when appropriate. Then address the entire athlete—not simply the knee.

Our specialized BEAR recovery programs incorporate V-Motion Fit Total Body Fitness, Strength & Conditioning and, when appropriate, regenerative medicine modalities including PRP, bone marrow aspirate cells and MLS healing laser therapy. BEAR rehabilitation differs from traditional ACL reconstruction and requires a careful, specialized progression.

Five years after performing that first procedure, my team and I remain among the world's longest-standing and most experienced teams caring for BEAR patients outside the original clinical trials.

If your athlete tears an ACL, don't automatically assume traditional reconstruction is the only answer. And if they're healthy today, don't wait for an ACL tear to start thinking about prevention.

For information about BEAR or our ACL injury-prevention programs, email customerservice@victoryinmotion.com and visit www.victoryinmotion.com .

For a deeper understanding of our repair-first philosophy, my Amazon #1 bestselling book, Repair Not Replace, is available on Amazon.