Orthopedic Innovations from Former Footballer

For many athletes, an ACL tear can mean the end of a career. But for Dr. Mark Drakos ’98 it was just the beginning.

Drakos, a former four-year varsity wide receiver for the Crimson, saw his fair share of injuries while in uniform. He also noticed that he and his teammates would be especially sore after games and practices held on different surfaces.

Now an orthopedic surgeon, Drakos has turned these observations into one of the field’s most progressive and unique research programs.

Using a custom-built machine called the ACL Dominator, Drakos and his team analyze the strain placed on the knee ligaments under certain conditions and movements. While many injuries are caused by heavy-hitting contact (especially in football), the project is focused on non-contact ACL tears. Drakos admits his program is far from perfect, but his team’s new developments are still on the cutting edge of orthopedic research.

The method and the machine are especially unique for two reasons. One is that the ACL Dominator allows for the control of the many variables researchers believe can influence ACL injuries, including variations in playing surfaces and athletic gear. The other is that rather than creating a mechanical model of the human leg, Drakos uses actual legs from human cadavers.

While the severed legs may conjure images of Dr. Frankenstein, Drakos’ work is producing real results with the potential to bring about substantive changes in the treatment and prevention of athletic injuries.