Sport-Orthopädie - Sport-Traumatologie - Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology
ReviewFoot and Ankle Injuries in Professional Soccer PlayersFuß- und Sprunggelenk-Verletzungen im professionellen Fußball
Introduction
Soccer is a high demand team sport involving constantly changing complex movement patterns. Walking, running, and sprinting, sudden changes in direction, jumping, and body contact require a high grade of coordination and body control. With roughly 200.000 professional soccer players and around 240 million amateur soccer players, soccer is a game with worldwide appeal. However, with rising popularity, the incidence of injuries is increasing. The game presents a wide variety of musculoskeletal problems to the sports physician and orthopaedic surgeon. Especially the lower extremity with the ankle and foot, knee, and thigh is prone to injuries [1]. The high injury rate among soccer players in general and female players in particular constitutes a considerable problem for the player, the team, the club, and given the popularity of for society at large. Health consequences are seen not just in the short term but also in the dramatic increase in the risk of career break and early problems, as osteoarthritis. Foot and ankle account for most of the injuries in soccer players [2].
Section snippets
Who is at risk?
Soccer is a widely popular sport, with participants being women and men of all age groups and skill levels. Overall, soccer injuries are more frequent with higher age of the participants, while incidence of injury in preadolescent players is low [3]. The incidence of injuries during practice is lower than during competition (1:2) [4]. Amateur soccer players have less injuries then professional soccer players [1].
What is at risk?
The most common site of injury in soccer player is the lower extremity. Breaking it
Ankle Sprains
Ankle sprains account for 40% of all sport injuries and 80% of all soccer injuries [12]. Around 85% of all ankle sprains are due to an inversion trauma with the foot in various degrees of plantar flexion. The ligaments most commonly involved are the anterior talofibular (ATFL) and calcaneal fibular ligament (CFL). Ankle joint stability has a mechanical and postural component. Ligament integrity is responsible for mechanical stability of the ankle joint. Functional stability is maintained by
Prevention
Prevention measures are needed not only to prevent acute injuries, but also long term effects of injuries, like osteoarthritis [34]. Important prerequisites for preventing injuries is a structured warm up training (FIFA 11+ program) [35] and professional coaching [36]. Shooting exercises can lead to muscle strains, if adequate warm up is not performed [7]. Athletes starting playing soccer in a club before the age of six years, are less prone to injuries. Players with long careers are usually
References (45)
Die isolierte Ruptur der vorderen Syndesmose – eine häufig übersehene Verletzung
Darstellung eines Falles aus der Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2008 mit aktueller Literaturübersicht. Sport-Orthopädie - Sport-Traumatologie - Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology
(2009)- et al.
Treatment of tendon and muscle using platelet-rich plasma
Clinics in sports medicine
(2009) Incidence and risk factors of lower leg fractures in Belgian soccer players
Injury
(2013)- et al.
Chondral and osteochondral reconstruction of local ankle degeneration
Foot Ankle Clin
(2013) Foot and ankle injuries and time lost from play in professional soccer players
The Foot
(2009)Return to Sport nach Verletzungen im Hochleistungsfußball – was ist dazu notwendig?
Sport-Orthopädie - Sport-Traumatologie - Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology
(2013)- et al.
Soccer injury in the lower extremities
Br J Sports Med
(2005) - et al.
Football injuries during the World Cup 2002
Am J Sports Med
(2004) Evaluation of injuries in youth soccer
Am J Sports Med
(1980)- et al.
Soccer injuries and their mechanisms
Med Sci Sports Exerc
(1983)
A systematic review on ankle injury and ankle sprain in sports
Sports Med
Risk factor analysis for injuries in football players. Possibilities for a prevention program
Am J Sports Med
Incidence of soccer injuries and their relation to training and team success
Am J Sports Med
A prospective study of ankle injury risk factors
Am J Sports Med
Relation between speed of reaction and psychometric tests of mental ability in musculoskeletal injury-prone subjects
Percept Mot Skills
Risk assessment in professional football: an examination of accidents and incidents in the 1994 World Cup finals
Br J Sports Med
Comparison of injuries sustained on artificial turf and grass by male and female elite football players
Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports
Injuries in women's professional soccer
Br J Sports Med
Biomechanics of the unstable ankle joint and clinical implications
Med Sci Sports Exerc
Akute und chronische OSG-Instabilitaet
GOTS Expertenmeeting 2012 Sprunggelenksinstabilitaet
Early and late repair of lateral ligament of the ankle
Foot Ankle
Common soccer injuries. Diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation
Sports Med
Cited by (9)
Foot and Ankle Injuries in Professional Soccer Players. Diagnosis, Treatment, and Expectations.
2016, Foot and Ankle ClinicsCitation Excerpt :If surgery is chosen, it should begin with arthroscopy to assess the degree of ligament damage and accompanying injuries, such as syndesmotic injury or chondral/osteochondral lesions. The preferred method of reconstruction is direct anatomic ligament repair using a modified Broström-Gould procedure.31 The time needed to return to specific training or to game play depends on the severity of the main and associated lesions and the athlete’s ability to perform the functional requirements of the sport.
Return to Play and Player Performance After Foot Fracture in UEFA Soccer Players
2022, Orthopaedic Journal of Sports MedicinePrevention of Ankle Sprain Injuries in Youth Soccer and Basketball: Effectiveness of a Neuromuscular Training Program and Examining Risk Factors
2018, Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine