Hey guys, I’m sorry I didn’t post anything for the last 10 days, but I was on a training camp with my team.
In addition, I broke my nose during a friendly game so I’ve had other things on my mind.
However, this event gave me the inspiration to write this short article about the injuries that happen in Soccer and their gravity.
Soccer is one of the sports that exposes the body to a very large variety of injuries, from muscular problems to bone fractures.
I would like to focus on the most common big injuries that a player can experience.
- Fracture with (open) dislocation: In my opinion, this is the worst that can happen. Bones don’t take too much time to heal (4 to 10 weeks depending of the bone), if the fracture is straight. If the bone is displaced, you must correct it with surgery where they usually put a ”screw” to keep the bones aligned. But the real problem is when the fracture is combined with a dislocation of an articulation. It means that a bone has gone out of the joint, meaning that probably some if not all the ligaments are broken. This also means surgery as a ligament does not heal by himself. Take for example the injury experienced by Eduardo Da Silva. With a broken left fibula and an open dislocation of the left ankle, the healing process took a full year. Injured in February 2008, he returned to action in February 2009.
- ACL and PCL injuries: This is a common injury in soccer. These ligaments are two of the four ligaments giving your knee stability and control. When the Anterior or the Posterior Cruciate Ligament is completely ruptured, the only way to recover is surgery. You undergo a reconstruction of the ruptured ligament, where another tendon or ligament is used in substitution of the injured one. You will need from 6 to 9 months to fully recover and return to competition. If the surgery is performed well, your knee should be fully functional.
- Simple fracture: Like I’ve said, it’s often better to break a bone than to tear down ligaments. However, it will take you at least three months before you can return to competition.
- Ankle sprains: the gravity of this injury can go from minor to very serious (one week to 1-2 month to return to competition). In any case, put a lot of effort on the rehabilitation. Ligaments need to re-adapt to recover their normal function. If you do not focus on the proprioceptive work, you will have repeated sprains and a chronic pain. Be very serious about the work you do before getting back on the field.
- Muscle strains: the gravity of the injury depends on the number of fibers that have been damaged (categorized into 3 levels). From a simple contusion to a complete rupture (rare), the muscle is able to heal quickly (because of the blood flow). Usually, the healing process can take from one to 8 weeks. Remember that the muscle is fragile and that a full recovery with a perfect alignment of the fibers is necessary in order to prevent further complications. The exposed areas are: groin muscles, quadriceps and hamstring and calf muscles.
- Tendon problems: A simple tendinitis (inflammation of the tendon) can be bad. It hurts, and it lasts. To complicate everything, it is difficult to heal. It may lead to a Tendinosis, which is a chronic tendon injury that take up to 6 months to treat. Be sure you work on your flexibility, that you have proper hydration and nutrition and, above all, that you do not overuse your muscles and tendon.
The list is really not exhaustive but it gives you a quick explanation of what you should expect when you get injuried. Be sure you get involved in the rehabilitation process and that you understand why the injury had occured and what you can do to prevent it in the future.
You have a question ? Write to prosoccerway@gmail.com
