[Typical injuries seen in football players]

Abstract

Injuries seen in football players mainly affect the knee and ankle joints and muscles. The causes include chronic overstrain and traumatization usually resulting from physical contact between opponent players. Torsional trauma of the joints results in excessive stressing of the capsular ligaments, potentially leading to rupture of the structures involved. Therapeutic options range from conservative measures to reconstructive or prosthetic surgery. While muscular injuries have a good prognosis with regard to the chances of continuing sports activities, injuries to ligaments often enforce a lengthy pause from sports. Extensive injuries to cartilages can terminate a player's sporting career. However, new procedures that take account of physiological biomechanics, together with the further development of surgical technologies now often allow players to regain their pre-injury level of fitness. Specific rehabilitation is a major therapeutic means of preventing further injury.