The king sport is not without injuries. And there are some more common than others.
In this article we will see a summary of what are the most frequent injuries in footballers, and how they damage the body and limit the movements of these athletes.
- We recommend:”Tendinitis: causes, symptoms and treatment”
What is an injury?
Let’s start first of all with a basic definition of the concept of injury, something necessary to know what we are talking about. An injury is an abnormal change in some tissue of the body that modifies its functional morphology and iscaused by a blow, a cut, exposure to extreme temperatures or a disease that damages the body from within.
That is, we say that there is an injury both as there are accidents from the outside (for example, a kick from an opposing player or a sprained ankle) and from the inside (for example, an aneurysm).
The most frequent injuries in football players
Since this type of alteration in the body includes a large number of accidents and symptoms of disease, players of football or any other sport are exposed to a variety of injuries practically endless. However, it is possible to distinguish between the most common injuries in the king sport.
Taking into account that football emphasizes the use of certain parts of the body and not others, it could be considered that it is normally these structures of the human organism that are most exposed to injury.
However, as we will see, this is not entirely the case, because although it is not allowed to touch the ball with arms and hands, these parts are still there in situations of risk, such as crashes and falls.
That said, let’s move on to see what are the most common injuries in football players.
1. Muscle tear in the thigh
This is the most frequent injury among soccer players, and affects especially
especially to the hamstring muscle group (although tears of the quadriceps femoris muscle are also common). In fact, it represents 17% of injuries in soccer players .
2. Torn ligament in the knee
The knees are also parts of the body that are very exposed to injuries during soccer games . Specifically, in this case the ligaments may be compromised by certain torsions.
Unlike what happens with tears, the part that suffers damage is not in the tendons, but in the ligaments; that is, the connective tissue structures that hold the ends of bones together at joints.
On the other hand, ligament tears are injuries associated with surgery, and the recovery period is usually longer than in the case of sprains.
3. Meniscus tear
The knee meniscus is a fibrocartilage linked to the ligaments of this joint , and its function is similar to that of these cords of connective tissue, although its position and composition is different (there are two of these structures in each knee, the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus).
It is also frequently damaged, as it plays a very important role in the functioning of the knee.
4. Groin and hip injuries
In this part of the body we can find the union of many muscle groups , and many times bad gestures, twisting or poor force management can cause injuries. In fact, there are indications that elite soccer teams deal with an average of 7 groin or hip injuries each year.
5. Ankle sprain
Ankle sprain usually occurs in falls or poor foot support . It is possible that the fact that the footwear has a lot of adherence makes it easier for these injuries to appear, by contributing to the sole being fixed in an incorrect position and it is difficult to correct this before all or a good part of the weight of the body is supported on that zone.
6. Patellar tendinopathy
This type of injury is a form of tendinitis that affects the tendon that holds the tibia and patella together . It is more common in sports where you jump a lot, such as basketball, but in soccer it is also an old acquaintance.
7. Shoulder Rotator Cuff Injuries
This part of the body made up of muscles and tendons is also relatively frequently damaged in soccer players , usually from crashes and falls from jumps. If this area is injured, it implies serious difficulties in moving the arm, but it can be treated medically.
8. Stress fractures in the foot
Stress or overload fractures in the foot are small breaks in the small bones of the feet caused by the constant application of force to that part of the body: jumping, running, kicking the ball, etc. These actions have a cumulative effect whose consequences must be foreseen before the injury occurs.
9. Plantar fasciitis
This type of injury consists of inflammation of the fascia of the sole of the foot . Fascia is a kind of cover made of connective tissue that surrounds and protects the organs of the body. With the constant exposure of the feet to the friction with the sole and the blows, it is normal that many times it is damaged during soccer games.
Bibliographic references
- Derry, S., Moore, R.A., Gaskell, H., McIntyre, M., Wiffen, P.J. (2015). Topical NSAIDs for acute musculoskeletal pain in adults. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 6 (6): CD007402.
- Junge, A., Dvorak, J. (2010). Injury risk of playing football in Futsal World Cups British Journal of Sports Medicine. 44: pp. 1089 – 1092.
- Keene, D., Williams, M.A., Segar, A.H., Byrne, C., Lamb, S., et al. (2016). Immobilisation versus early ankle movement for treating acute lateral ankle ligament injuries in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
- Sihvonen, R., Paavola, M., Malmivaara, A., Itälä, A., Joukainen, A., Nurmi, H., Kalske, J., Järvinen, TL (2013). Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy versus Sham Surgery for a Degenerative Meniscal Tear. The New England Journal of Medicine. 369 (26): pp. 2504 – 2514.
- Waldén, M., Hägglund, M., Ekstrand, J. (2005). UEFA Champions League study: a prospective study of injuries in professional football during the 2001-2002 season. Br J Sports Med. 39: pp. 542 – 546.
- Werner, J., Hägglund, M., Waldén, M., Ekstrand, J. (2009). UEFA injury study: a prospective study of hip and groin injuries in professional football over seven consecutive seasons. Br J Sports Med. 43: pp. 1036 – 1040.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.