Football is the most popular game sport in the world — even among girls. Unfortunately, soccer is also the sport in which the most injuries are counted.
Regardless of whether in club, school or unorganized sport, soccer is the leader in injury statistics, according to specialist literature.
The players have the most before the cruciate ligament rupture (VKB) Anxiety that results in a long downtime and exhausting rehabilitation period.
Women are there Affected 6 times more often as men.
The following blog post will explain in more detail how and why the frequent knee injuries in women's soccer can occur and what causes this injury specifically for women.
(How you can preventively address typical injuries in women's soccer can be found in the article”Injury prevention in women's soccer“. In the B42 soccer app Do you find specific rehab programs for female soccer players. Download it right away.)
The classic cruciate ligament rupture shows very typical injury mechanisms, which usually occur in situations of landing after a jump, during stopping movements from running or when changing direction, so-called change of directions (COD).
These are movement sequences that characteristic of soccer are. We are all familiar with the game situations. Header duels in attack or defense, tackling in defensive behavior or even quick changes of direction In dribbling, but above all, with over 70%, this injury happens in pressing situations on the part of the defender. The movement pattern of the injury situation is usually the same.
Valgus moments in the knee (Picture), often combined with internal or external rotation, are a mechanism. In addition, twisting movements when the knee joint is almost stretched are added as an injury mechanism.
The knee joint is in contact with the ground and is stressed.
Figure 1: Neutral orientation of lower extremity joints relative to joint positions in valgus collapse position (modified according to Hewett et al, 2005, p. 295).
In addition to external risk factors that can have an influence on the development of cruciate ligament tears, it is primarily internal risk factors that can be actively fought against.
Internal risk factors relate to criteria that start from the player himself, and many of them can be influenced by appropriate behavior and training.
And here, several research groups have discovered that the risk of suffering a torn cruciate ligament is many times higher in women than in men.
This is mainly based on anatomical differences, hormonal conditions as well as that neuromuscular interplay and, as a result, movement control.
For women in particular, the so-called Qaudriceps (Q) angle a negative factor influencing frequent knee injuries in women's soccer.
This describes the valgus force vector, which acts on the patella when the quadriceps contract. The resulting altered biomechanics means higher static and dynamic valgus stress and thus leads to an increased injury rate.
Women are also more susceptible to ACL injuries due to a shorter, less strong ligament structure. A generally known, higher joint laxity is another risk factor for women.
The hormonal influence as an indicator of an increased risk of injury to women compared to their male colleagues for cruciate ligament ruptures is also increasingly being discussed.
There are studies that have found that the risk of suffering a torn cruciate ligament is increased, especially in the first half of the cycle.
Responsible here is the estrogen hormonethat reduce the strength of the ligament structures, which has an effect on the stability of the joint. The range of motion of the joint increases and the risk of injury increases.
Further should the cycle have an influence on contractility and speed, which can also have an influence on optimal muscular joint protection in dynamic movement situations in soccer.
that Interaction of central nervous system and musculature also has a major influence on movement patterns and movement control. Deficits in this combination have been shown to increase the risk of injury.
This includes, for example, inadequate muscle activation adapted to the situation — both in terms of size, but also in terms of timing and timing.
Serious injuries often occur because the muscles are unable to stabilize and secure the strained joint sufficiently and in good time.
In the case of women, the phenomenon of so-called Quadriceps Dominance observed.
The players tend to stabilize their knee primarily by tensing the front thigh muscles (quadriceps), while the opponent, the back thigh muscles (antagonist) is barely activated. However, in high-risk situations, such as when landing after a header), this results in the knee remaining too stretched overall (stiff landing). The increased quadriceps tension, without counteractivation, also increases the load on the anterior cruciate ligament.
Another cause of injury is Trunk dominance described.
Body stabilization, e.g. during duels or running duels, is initiated, among other things, by the trunk. Trunk domincance describes the inability to adequately stabilize the body in all levels of movement within athletic movement situations.
Here, too, women show greater deficits compared to men, in addition to the fact that the female sex has a higher body center of gravity. This all leads to instabilities from the trunk, which women try to compensate with dangerous compensatory movements in the hip and knee joints, with the result that the risk of injury due to overcompensation increases.
In addition, there is a relevant monopod dominance (Leg Dominance) is another factor for an increased risk of injury.
Leg dominance means an imbalance between strength, coordination and movement control within the left and right leg. Here too, the imbalance is significantly greater among women than among men, which is due to deficient soccer training.
This fact is dangerous because the bullet bone in particular, when it has to perform the function of the supporting leg on the pitch, has weaknesses in stabilization.
A final risk factor is described as ligament dominance.
Any contact with the ground due to landings, stopping movements or CODs, for example, is counteracted by opposing forces (ground reaction force), which represent an immense load on joints. In neuromotor disorders (e.g. muscular dysfunction), these opposing forces must be absorbed by passive structures (e.g. ligaments).
In individual cases, they can have an [too] high effect on the joint-stabilizing ligaments due to insufficient muscular security and stabilization. If this force exceeds the tensile strength of the ligament, injuries and ruptures occur — medial collapse is a very typical example of this.
No player is 100% insured against injuries — there is always a residual risk in sports, especially in soccer.
However, it is a fact that non-contact injuries in particular — i.e. injuries that happen without the influence of the opponent — can be minimized through proper training.
There is little influence on anatomical and hormonal conditions. However, we have good opportunities to have a positive effect on the neuromuscular system and biomechanics.
The key to success here is targeted, regular preventive training (e.g. with the B42 soccer app) to automate injury-risky movement sequences typical of soccer and thus be able to optimally master risk situations in training or competition.
This drill strengthens the leg axis, which is so important for soccer. With a strong and stable leg axle, you protect yourself from knee injuries and long downtimes.
We would recommend doing around 8 to 12 repetitions per side with a slightly bent knee.
Dynamic skate jumps — i.e. jumps from side to side — give you the necessary explosivity. They are dynamic and reactive — the qualities needed on the pitch.
We'd recommend jumping from page to page for around 20 to 30 seconds.
These exercises are also part of our rehabilitative comeback trainings. With special training programs for knee joint injuries, we are there to provide you with advice and assistance even in the worst time for every athlete.
In doing so, we rely on the procedure “reliable diagnostics — professional physiotherapy — comeback training”.
After the neural healing phase, mobilizing, strengthening and finally dynamic elements are implemented piece by piece in the individual training units as part of the comeback work.
In principle, everything a soccer player needs to come back even stronger after an injury break.
Be fearless. Be focused. B42
Stay fit & powerful. With the B42 app For female soccer players
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