Can we expect an increase in sports injuries due to the World Cup?
benhealth’s Tim Walker looks at the football injuries even the magic sponge can’t fix – whether it’s on a
World Cup stage or in the local park.
You may just have noticed that it’s World Cup time and, in common with all major football tournaments, the air is filled with words like ligament, hamstring, metatarsal and.… well, lager. To paraphrase a famous football ditty, we’ve had 44 years of hurt but it never stopped us dreaming.
In every run-up to every World Cup there is an injury saga – be it David Beckham’s achilles or Michael Owen’s foot – and every four years football fans are suddenly transformed into barstool experts on anterior cruciate ligaments and other anatomical minutiae.
Why do footballers receive so many sports injuries?
But why do footballers (paid and unpaid) pick up such injuries and what can help them recover in time for that big – everyone’s-life-depends-upon-it – match?
One man with a particular insight into the heartache which football injury can lead to is former professional footballer Jim Pearson.
Jim’s promising career was ended by injury at just 26, when his left knee, after years of knocks, wear and tear, was no longer strong enough for the professional game. He takes up the story: “I started playing professional football with St Johnstone in the club’s heyday. Then Everton, who were one of the top teams at the time, came in for me and I spent four happy years there from 1974-78 playing alongside Bob Latchford up front. But every season I would have a lay-off because of my knee – I knew it was my weak point. I accepted that injuries were a part of the game but it got worse every year. After that I went to Newcastle but during two seasons I only managed 12 games (I scored four goals mind you). It was the same knee that was the problem.
“Eventually, I went with the manager to see a specialist and he said it was all over. The ligaments in my left knee would never recover. It was heartbreaking – one moment you’re a professional footballer, the next you’re left with no career.”
How do footballers cope with being injured? “It‘s very hard,” says Jim, a jovial Scot. “You just want to play. You can go mad just waiting to get better and when you do you have to fight to get back in the side.”
He adds: “In those days we didn’t do as much warming up and stretching as they do today – it’s a lot more sophisticated now.”
For Jim, thankfully there was a happy ending to the story. He was fortunate to be approached by Nike, who were just beginning to promote their football wear. “I was in the right place at the right time,” he says modestly. “They asked me to help promote their product and it was a huge success.”
Jim is now 57 and happily residing in Newcastle, after a spell spent in Brunei coaching the Sultan’s nephew (not bad for a lad from Falkirk). He is a sports consultant for Blacks Solicitors.
At nearby Middlesbrough Football Club, Grant Downie gives a view from the treatment table. Grant, head of the medical department at the club, is charged with treating injured players and making them well enough to take the field again as soon as humanly possible.
The Scot, who previously worked for Rangers, looks after the whole club, from the first team stars down to the juniors. So what are the most common injuries?
“Many injuries concern either knees or ankles,” explains Grant, “but it is also common to treat muscle strains, hip injuries and back problems. Making sure players are available again quickly is an important part of the job, but preventing injury is actually more pertinent. These days the training regime of players is designed with injury prevention in mind and how we do that is to tailor the training to each player. For example, some players will need more time in the gym, while others will benefit more from time on the training ground. We also have more intensive warm-ups before games than used to be the case in the past, so that undoubtedly helps too.”
When players do pick up injuries Grant and his team spring into action. He explains: “We treat the whole person, not just the injured area. That means we make sure that player has a good diet and the right mental attitude to speed up recovery. Oddly enough two players with exactly the same injury will recover at different speeds – it’s about metabolism and attitude in the main.”
So with all of the attention on prevention, why do players still suffer such disastrous injuries?
“Football involves great amounts of load-bearing and rotation, so there is a lot of strain,” Grant says simply. “And it doesn’t help that the season is so long and games are bunched together. I’m all in favour of a mid-season break, which would be good for players to recover from injury.”
It’s not just football of course where players suffer injuries. Rugby and hockey players are likely to experience similar injuries to footballers because of the nature of those games. And while high profile pre-World Cup injuries grab the headlines, thousands of amateur players hobble into work every Monday morning (and they are the lucky ones who can still walk).
Grant has some considered advice for the amateur: “I would urge people who play a lot of sport to have a proper assessment by a qualified physiotherapist. They will be able to advise you on what weaknesses to work on and help you prevent injuries.”
Jim Pearson agrees: “In a way injuries are worse for amateurs. When you are a professional and you’re injured, you still get paid and have the best treatment on a daily basis. For amateurs you have to find your own treatment and you might not get paid if you don’t turn up for work.”
Like many things in life, walking onto a football pitch is a gamble, and no matter what happens in the World Cup, one thing is odds-on – there will be injuries to the big players and it will alter the course of football history.
Common football injuries and how to avoid them
• Hamstring strain – a thorough warm-up, prior to matches and training
• Sprained ankle – taping and bracing the ankle, plus wobble board training
• Knee cartilage tear – work on strong quadriceps and hamstring muscles
• Hernia – core strength and core stability exercises
• Anterior cruciate ligament – wobble board training.
Five rules for avoiding sports injuries
• Wear protective gear where necessary
• Warm up and cool down
• Know the rules of the game
• Watch out for others
• Don’t play when injured.
Sports Injuries - sources of support
Don’t forget that Benenden Healthcare may be able to provide physiotherapy. Benenden Members are advised to speak to one of our membership advisors to find out more. Membership of Benenden Healthcare costs just £1.50 per person, per week, and you can even join Benenden Healthcare online.
This article first appeared in issue 11 of benhealth, the magazine for Benenden Healthcare members.
