Introduction
Soccer is a dynamic team sport. From the point of view of sports medicine, the risk of injury is high. Various characteristics of soccer are responsible for this:
- Soccer is a speed sport with many fast changes of movement, short sprints etc.
This leads to short-term peak loads again and again.
- Soccer is a contact sport with duels, header duels, corners etc. Due to excessive emotional devotion the risk of injury is high.
- Soccer is played largely without protectors.
- Soccer is played in all weather conditions. The risk of injury is increased in extreme cold, heat and ice.
- Especially in the lower soccer leagues, space conditions play an important role in the risk of injury. An uneven floor, narrow playing field boundaries, hard courts, etc. increase the risk of injury.
Possibility of head injuries
Head injuries are not very common. In the course of duels in headers, impact injuries can cause bruises or lacerations. Head lacerations look spectacular due to the immediate loss of blood, but are rather harmless in their severity.
Skin lacerations are quickly sutured. Despite a large and sometimes contaminated wound, infections are rare. Adequate tetanus protection must be ensured.
Especially when training and playing on ash pitches, sufficient tetanus protection must be ensured. A booster vaccination should not only be given after a suffered abrasion or laceration. A blow to the face can cause bony injuries.
A broken nose and broken zygomatic bone are the most common injuries. Most nasal fractures do not require surgical treatment, as long as there is no gross displacement (dislocation) and the olfactory function is not impaired. In any case, an accident doctor should be consulted.
If the olfactory sensors are lost, an ENT specialist should be consulted immediately. Cooling the nose is a suitable immediate measure, and to promote hemostasis, the neck should also be cooled. Fractures of the zygomatic arch do not usually require surgery either. Only in the case of larger displacements is surgical fracture reduction and stabilization with metal implants (osteosynthesis) necessary.
- Nasal bone fracture and
- Zygomatic fracture
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