Black Stars doctor Dr Pambo links surge in ACL injuries to intense football schedule

Dr Prince PamboeBlack Stars team doctor, Dr. Prince Pambo, has attributed the recent surge in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries to the intense workload on players. This season, ACL injuries have sidelined several notable footballers, including Black Stars duo Fatawu Issahaku and Alidu Seidu.Issahaku sustained his injury during Ghanas 1-1 draw against Angola in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Luanda.Shortly after, Seidu also suffered a similar injury while playing for Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 over the weekend.Both players have been ruled out for the remainder of the season, a significant blow for their respective clubs and the Black Stars.Dr Pambo explained that the increasing frequency of ACL injuries is tied to the growing demands of modern football schedules.”ACL injuries used not to be so common, but what is clear now is that the kind of load that players are exposed to has literally quadrupled compared to previous times,” he said in an interview with 3Sports.”Players are playing a lot more games, and there is a lot more load on players compared to what used to happen in times past. That for me is the contributing factor.”He also pointed to the sophistication of the game, noting that players now run more and perform increasingly complex actions with the ball.