title: Treatment of muscle injuries in football.
abstract: Muscle injuries are frequent and represent one of the most substantial medical problems in professional football. They can have both traumatic and overuse causes with direct practical consequence due to differences in terms of the post-primary care regimen and prognosis. An accurate diagnosis is the first step towards a specific treatment and usually allows to predict return to play (RTP). Current treatment principles have no firm scientific basis; they are practiced largely as empirical medicine due to a lack of prospective randomised studies. Immediate treatment usually follows the PRICE-principle (protection, rest, ice, compression, elevation). Depending on the type of the muscle injury, specific physical and physiotherapeutical procedures as well as rehabilitative exercises and gradual training therapy are used to recondition the injured structure, to restore coordination and proprioception, and to normalise movement patterns. Injection therapy with various substances is frequently used, with positive results empirically, but evidence in form of prospective randomised studies is lacking. A precise rehabilitation plan should be developed for every muscle injury, including recommendations for sport-specific training with increasing intensity. Since there are no guidelines regarding safe RTP, regular follow-up examinations on the current muscle status are crucial to evaluate the progress made in terms of healing and to determine when the injured muscle can be exposed to the next step of load. This narrative review describes the various factors that a medical team should consider during assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of a muscle injury with particular focus on professional football.
authors.affiliation: a MW Center of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine , Munich , Germany.|b Department of Osteology and Biomechanics , University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf , Hamburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ueblacker
authors.affiliation: a MW Center of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine , Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Haensel
authors.affiliation: a MW Center of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine , Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Wilhelm
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Mueller-Wohlfahrt
mesh_terms: D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D005538:Football; D006801:Humans; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D020127:Recovery of Function; D000068958:Return to Sport; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries*; D013178:Sports Medicine
keywords: Football; contusion; muscle injury; professional athletes; return to play; strain; tear