Leg football injuries

In football, our legs allow us to reach high speeds and we can run, jump or change direction quickly. However, our legs are predisposed to various injuries due to the dynamics of football. They are also one of the parts in which football players suffer the most injuries.

This is because muscles such as the hamstrings and quadriceps are in constant use and are prone to knocks, trauma and injuries of all kinds.

What are the most common types of leg injuries when playing football?

Leg injuries are usually muscular, especially in the hamstrings and quadriceps as these are the muscles responsible for providing power to the short and long runs that are constantly performed during a match.

Here are some of the most common leg injuries:

Quadriceps injury

The quadriceps muscle tear is one of the injuries that affect not only football players, but also most people who play contact sports. The quadriceps are located in the front part of the leg and their contraction allows us to walk or run, so a blow to the quadriceps can have consequences. In the case of football players, they are much more exposed to this type of injury.

When there is a quadriceps tear, it is because the contusions received in that area cause the muscles to collide with the bone, thus generating a break in the fibres of the muscles. This injury is usually very painful. However, you cannot know how serious it is until it is assessed. Therefore, if you are playing and you receive a blow to them and it causes you a lot of pain, it is advisable to stop the activity and go to a doctor to carry out tests to determine whether there is damage or not.

Biceps femoris injury

This injury is also called the sprinter's injury, as it is the fastest players who push these muscles to their limits. The biceps femoris is activated when the foot strikes the ground causing it to tighten and generating great force.

A ruptured biceps femoris generates a sharp pain in the back of the thigh towards the side, and its pain makes it impossible to continue any activity that includes walking, because it is very painful to even try to bend the knee. Recovery time varies according to the severity of the injury and can be up to 4 months of inactivity.

Hamstring strain

Have you ever seen when a football player is running and touches the back of his leg? This is the famous "pinch", a very common injury after short explosive runs or long runs and with accumulated fatigue in the legs. When a fibre in these muscles is torn, the pain is usually severe, and if the necessary measures are not taken, it can worsen into a complete tear.

This injury represents 12% of the injuries suffered by football players and appears more frequently in those over 30 years of age. To avoid it, we only need to stretch the muscles well before training and strengthen them by doing different exercises for that specific area. Good nutrition and hydration are also important.

Injury to the thighs

The fibres of the muscles are exposed to strains, tears or contractures, due to different causes such as maximum demand on our muscles, poor support when we fall or various blows to the area due to sudden tackles by opponents trying to steal the ball from us.

These injuries can be prevented by warming up before playing or training, as we often start any of these activities without adequate preparation, making our muscles more susceptible to these injuries.

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How to apply the RICE therapy to treat leg injuries in football players?

The PRICE therapy (formerly called RICE) is a practical way that will allow you to reduce the inflammation of the injury to help you in the recovery process.

Here we show you step by step how to apply it carefully:

• Protection: the first thing to do is to bandage the leg if it is a muscle break or even splint it if it is a fracture of the femur. This is to prevent the injury from being aggravated by trying to move it or receiving a second blow to it.
• Rest: until a doctor has checked us, we should rest completely and not move or use the affected leg any more, especially if we think we have suffered a muscle or bone fracture.
• Ice: with ice we can reduce inflammation thanks to its vasoconstriction effect, which will also minimise the pain generated by the tear, cramp, muscle break or femur fracture.
• Compression: Compression can be applied either with a bandage or with a compression garment, which in this case could be a knee brace, ankle brace or compression shorts to keep the swelling at bay.
• Elevation: finally, we must elevate the injured leg above the level of the heart, so that the blood flow to the injury is reduced and the swelling does not progress.

References

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3. Elliott, M. C., Zarins, B., Powell, J. W., & Kenyon, C. D. (2011). Hamstring muscle strains in professional football players: a 10-year review. The American journal of sports medicine, 39(4), 843-850. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0363546510394647
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