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Every week, Dr. Jean-Marc Sène, sports doctor, presents his sports column in Priorité Santé. This week, he gives advice on how to treat injuries to amateur and practicing footballers.
We start with the footballer’s big injury: the cruciate ligaments. What is it regarding ? Can we play once more following a breakup?
The cruciate ligaments are two ligaments that cross in the center of the knee. These two ligaments are used in particular to stabilize the knee when the latter is stressed in rotation.
The first symptoms of a ruptured cruciate ligament are:
- you heard a crack during the impact,
- you feel severe knee pain,
- you are unable to walk properly and your knee is swollen.
- Other symptoms appear later, when the pain weakens: you feel that your knee lacks stability, that it is less solid.
For amateur athletes, the operation may not be considered.
As for recovery, it will depend on the athlete and the severity of the injury. Generally, the resumption of sports such as cycling or swimming can be done following 3 months. Footballers can usually return to training following 7 months, and return to top-level competition following 9-12 months, depending on the athlete and their recovery.
Cramp, how to prevent it?
Muscle cramps are a very common problem in the practice of sport. They correspond to a sudden and involuntary contraction of one or more muscles. Although it can be painful, the cramps are usually mild, so nothing to worry regarding!
When you have a cramp, it is advisable to stop the effort, stretch and massage the muscle affected by the cramp. Generally, the cramp is temporary and the pain disappears following a few minutes. To avoid having repeated cramps, it is recommended to hydrate well by drinking water and without waiting to be thirsty.
It is also very important to warm up your muscles well before exercise. For example, you can run a little before a football match or practice. After exercise, it is advisable to stretch the muscles where cramps occur most often, such as the calf, hamstrings or quadriceps. To prevent cramps, you can adopt a diet rich in calcium and magnesium.
In case of ankle torsion, what to do?
If you twist, you probably have a sprained ankle. This injury is one of the most common among footballers.
The severity of the sprain will then depend on the depth of the lesions on these ligaments.
For mild or moderate sprains, you will first need to give your joint some rest. You can also apply an ice pack to the ankle to reduce swelling. Be careful not to apply the ice directly in contact with the skin.
To avoid spraining yourself in the future, try to recover well from your injury before resuming physical activity. Physical therapy sessions can help.
If you do not see any improvement following a few days, your sprain may be associated with other lesions (bone, cartilage, etc.) and it will then be best to consult a doctor to determine the exact nature of the problem. injury.
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