Even after the disappointing World Cup, soccer is of course the number 1 national sport in Germany. The attractiveness of soccer and the associated popularity of the sport depends largely on the dynamism that the game brings with it. steep passes, Running duels, flank changes, straddles, double passes, duels... the players love all of these components on the pitch and especially the spectators in the stadium or on the sofa at home.
The faster the better. However, this high level of dynamism also poses risks. Because especially the fast Change of direction as well as a variety of other decelerating and accelerating movements, such as abrupt start and stop movements, represent high forces for the organism.
It is not without reason that soccer is one of the most injury-prone sports.
Accelerating, i.e. accelerating, efforts are typically jumps, shots and sprints. Slowing forces occur when there are abrupt stops, changes of direction and, if necessary, contact with opponents.
These movement patterns, with their high biomechanical demands on muscles and joint-stabilizing structures, can lead to injuries with, but above all without, contact with the opponent.
Now you are probably wondering how to use this knowledge of their causes cruciate ligament injuries can prevent.
And of course I would love to be able to give a general answer to that question. Unfortunately, to do this, you have to drill even deeper into the matter and so-called extrinsic and intrinsic risk factorswhich, in certain, unfavorable combinations, can also have an influence on injuries.
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These can be:
Environmental conditions such as weather or soil conditions: A study has shown that non-contact ACL injuries occur more frequently in very dry and dull soil conditions. By simply blowing grass before the game and at halftime, this risk can be counteracted preventively.
footwear: As mentioned in the last article, knee injuries are also often associated with cleat design. It has been proven that longer tunnels pose a higher risk of injury. There are also studies that show that an increased number of cleats is associated with an increased risk of injury.
In particular, we are talking about anatomical factors of the lower extremity:
This involves the lower half of the body, such as the hip and knee joints and their mobility.
Ankle mobility also influences movement and can be an influencing factor for knee injuries.
It can be said in general that improved mobility in the hip, knee and ankle joints certainly minimizes the risk of knee injuries.
But other anatomical structures such as the degree of static and dynamic knee valgus, i.e. the X-leg position, also have an influence on the risk of cruciate ligament injuries.
Severe inward kinking of the knee joint in particular represents a typical scenario for an ACL injury.
Another very decisive factor is your muscle strength.
The muscle strength of the muscles surrounding the knee has a high stabilizing and therefore protective effect on the joint. Especially when you land or initiate a change of direction, you need optimally developed muscles.
Conclusion: There are some injury patterns on which you as a player can have little or no influence — especially those where the opponent is actively involved — so-called “contact injuries.” This is of course frustrating for the athlete and, to put it quite simply, it's just bad luck — because in 100 other almost identical situations, you get away unharmed.
This gives you the opportunity to improve your mobility in your trunk, pelvis and legs in order to prevent cruciate ligament injuries. You should also bring your muscles to a good level and make sure that there are as few imbalances in the different muscle groups as possible.
It is even possible to work on genetically determined constellations such as X-legs.
If you always end up strongly in X after jumps, i.e. in such a way that your knees bend inwards, you can break the “wrong” automatism through isolated landing training (for example with a ball between your knees) and save the “correct” movement pattern.
Note: Such movement mechanisms are easier to correct in childhood and adolescence than in adults and are a great tool for preventing cruciate ligament injuries.
With the B42 soccer app You can “work” on many of these factors yourself. Even in the”Biggest soccer team in the world“— the community on Facebook — you can test your mobility free of charge and get feedback from the coaches.
I hope you enjoyed the article and that you can “take away” some useful tips.
See you soon, Julia Simic
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