Stress increases the risk of injury of players.

-The orthopedic surgeons warn of the importance of food, rest and training to prevent injury

Madrid, March of 2013- stress and anxiety increase the risk of injury in football, both professional and amateur, according to experts gathered Monday in the Royal Spanish Federation of football (RFEF) in the medical Conference on Traumatologito applied to football. It was attended by Professor Pedro Guillén, head of the Department of Traumatology of the Clinical Center; and the doctors Tomás Fernández Jaén and Isabel Guillén, members of the sports medicine and Traumatology services, recommending good food, rest and physical training to prevent injuries in football fields.

In addition to sports stress (overload), anxiety and problems of psychological stress in daily life are significant predictors of lesions in the professional players, according to a Swedish study published in February in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation journal. The origin of this disorder can be inside or outside the field. In their daily lives may also suffer stress situations which then affects them in the game and therefore in the lesions. It can be from an accumulation of matches and training, which involves travel and concentrations, especially in professional football; up to everyday situations that may affect as to any other person, i.e. unemployment, crisis, family issues, etc. ”, indicates the doctor Fernández Jaén.

Injuries caused by sports stress “are those that we call overload, caused by imbalance between charge that receives the body and what this can withstand.” The lesion benign and most well-known is the Dowitcher and the most serious thing that we call fractura-estres ”, says the expert. Overload causes a pain after workouts, there is a traumatic cause, which will increase with the sports activity and exercise, affecting the performance of the player. In these cases need to know to stop him in time because it can lead to a complete bone fracture ”, warns.

In the course of a match soccer players can have psychological stress due to a bad team game, a defeat, a Sung for goalkeepers or a succession of failures of gol in the case of the front ”, says Dr. Juan Espino, President of the Medical Commission of the RFEF and organizer of the Conference. The anxiety generated by these situations can cause a series of behavioral disorders that lead to a poor kick or a bad reaction to a shock against the adversary ”, adds.

Recommendations

Sports medicine experts advise the importance of a good nutrition, hydration and rest to avoid injury ”, says Professor Pedro Guillén. Physical preparation and warming are fundamental in preparing for a football game, so need to adapt training and physical burdens to the ability of the player has to bear them ”, indicates.

Many players play two or more parties per week without having time to rest. Professor Guillén warns it is important regulate training and matches with recovery times times and above all, do not force the player and detect early possible stress injuries when the pain after workouts ”.

Most frequent injuries

The most common soccer injuries are those of the lower limb, especially after changes in boots or tacos, says Professor Guillén. the muscles most often be detrimental are the hamstrings. In terms of areas joint the most damaged are the ankle and knee, being greatly affected the anterior cruciate ligament. Also there are numerous of the distal third of the tibia, known as periostitis ”, points. According to the doctor, all of which may decrease with control, training and better preparation in workouts.

A recent Spanish study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness Magazine concluded that there are differences in the risk of injury depending on the period of competition and therefore injury prevention strategies should be introduced since the preseason. Among the most common injuries observed to analyze at a Spanish soccer team for two seasons, are sprains of ligaments and muscle sprains, representing 50% of all injuries and 62% of absences in matches ”. The results of the investigation also revealed that the highest incidence of sprains took place in the preseason and in the beginning of the competition. in addition, the risk of muscle strain peaked in the final weeks of the season.