Soccer injuries

Abstract

As one of the most popular contact sports played, soccer certainly leads to high injury profi les among competitive and professional players. While being a typical ‘lower extremity sport’, injuries to the groin, knee, thigh, ankle and foot are regularly seen in soccer. Because of its popularity and high injury rates, soccer has been studied structurally the last 20 years, and recommendations have been made to prevent muscle injuries and knee and ankle ligament injuries. Furthermore, the recognition of injury patterns and the increasing clinical and radiological knowledge has led to an increased care of the injured soccer player. This chapter deals with the most common soccer injuries, from head to toe, and their clinical, diagnostical as well as treatment considerations and is supported by recent literature and expert opinion. As sports medicine and its supportive medical investigations progress, the interaction between clinicians and soccer players and their coaches is highly valued to deliver the best clinical care to the soccer player.