A few years ago, I unfortunately tore my ACL playing sports. I was told that I needed surgery if I ever wanted to play again. I went from never breaking a bone to experiencing one of the most tragic sports related injuries. However, I was always intrigued about the side of the argument for the people who tear their ACL and aren't necessarily the most active and don't engage in sports. This question is debatable because the un-athletic people would explain that they don't need surgery because they aren't as active. However, an experienced doctor would argue that surgery would benefit everyone. Many people who tear their ACL are lost and looking for advice on this crucial decision. This topic doesn't question my morals or values because it's more of a lighter issue. I have a high amount of personal experience with this topic and I know it makes me highly qualified to tackle this issue. I am passionate about this topic as well, I've always been interested in my peer's knee injuries and question if they decide to receive surgery and they're reasoning.  I think it is enticing because surgery is known as a personal decision, but it is a public one at the same time because everyone has a different opinion on this topic.


This source is all fully about finding ways to prevent an ACL injury from happening, and how to react to it once it happens. It also explains that females are at a greater risk for this injury, which is a bonus fun fact. No single exercise will prevent this injury, unfortunately. It gives you a mix up of foolproof exercises at an easy level to follow and help make a knee stronger. Obviously the writer is bias to which prevention exercises are the best. The author is very credible because they are simply stating facts and not saying one way to do something is better than the other. 


This source's central claim is about prevention of ACL injuries in high school athletes. It talks about how it happens, how the number is rising, and what coaches don't know. Also about when ACL injuries happen, and how to rehabilitate them and prevent them in the future. This article would help my essay because it argues for the athlete side of my argument. I like that it doesn't mention non-athletes for this particular source because it allows me to focus on exactly how I should incorporate this section for my essay. The more specific I can be with my evidence the better. A coach writes this with hands on experience with high school athletes he is highly credible in talking about high school injuries. 


This article explains what an ACL is and how it is able to become torn. This text is unique because it gives a step-by-step formula on how to prevent an ACL tear and why. This website is particularly made for children, so this article is explained clear and concisely, which is important because most people don't know much about the parts of the knee and what can happen to them. This text will be appropriate for my article because it has clear information that will be easy for readers to understand. This article is written by a credible sports medicine expert who see's ACL injuries every day.


My question is arguable because an ACL can tear and react differently inside every body that it occurs in. Many orthopedic doctors argue what is the best method of recovery and why. Some doctors will say that anyone who tears their ACL absolutely needs surgery and others will say that they shouldn't be forced to. That is the reason I am researching this, because there is such a wide variety of opinions and mixed ideas that make this argument a heated one. Most of my sources, in general, have all been written by authors who had their own personal opinions on the decision to receive surgery or not and that is very interesting to me. I think different perspectives of sources affect my own because those perspectives generate new ideas and factors that I would've never thought about and will now include in my essay to make it stronger. 
