Knee injury

Knee injuries are common in soccer. Not only because it is a contact sport, but also because soccer demands fast movements from the players. We list the most common soccer knee injuries and give advice on what is best to do about your knee injury.

We distinguish between acute and non-acute knee injuries. Acute injuries occur in one moment during training or a match. There is then a clear moment of onset. If that is not the case, the injury may have developed over a longer period. We call this a non-acute knee injury.

Acute knee injuries

Acute knee injuries are especially feared by soccer players. They can lead to a prolonged inability to play. An acute knee injury often occurs without direct contact with an opponent. A knee is then twisted, for example when turning away from an opponent or during a landing in which the player ‘goes through the knee’.

After an acute knee injury, continuing to play is often not possible. If there is immediate swelling in the knee, inability to bear weight, or if you felt something pop, the advice is to stop immediately.

Contusion
If your knee is hit by an opponent, a contusion almost always occurs to a greater or lesser extent. This is sometimes visible on the skin in the form of a bruise. A contusion usually goes away on its own.

ACL injury
The most well-known acute knee injury in soccer is a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. The ACL is a ligament in the middle of the knee joint. Together with the posterior cruciate ligament it provides stability in the knee. Anterior cruciate ligament ruptures (tears) are often operated on. Rehabilitation of an ACL rupture is long and takes between nine and twelve months. Rehabilitation of an ACL rupture without surgery also takes several months up to a year. This depends greatly on many factors.

Meniscus injury
In the knee the bones of the shinbone and thighbone meet. Between the bones are two discs. The disc on the inside of your knee is the medial meniscus. The one on the outside is the lateral meniscus. In a meniscus injury the medial and/or lateral meniscus is damaged. This can cause knee pain when making twisting movements.

Knee ligament injury
On the inside and outside of the knee are the knee ligaments. Like the cruciate ligaments, the collateral ligaments provide stability in the knee. Pain on the inside of the knee may indicate an injury to the medial knee ligament. Pain on the outside of the knee may come from the lateral knee ligament.

Unhappy triad
In some cases a combination of the anterior cruciate ligament, medial meniscus, and medial collateral ligament is damaged. The so-called unhappy triad.

Non-acute knee injuries

Knee injuries in soccer can also occur without a clear moment of onset. This can be the result of overuse or not properly recovering from a previous knee injury.

Complaints around the kneecap
The patellofemoral pain syndrome is an example of a non-acute injury that causes symptoms around or under the kneecap (patella). This is an injury that occurs especially in younger players. The mobility of the kneecap plays an important role here. Children who are growing may experience discomfort because of this. The mobility of the kneecap is largely determined by the muscles attached to it. Due to growth and a lot of sports, an imbalance can develop in these muscles. The kneecap can then no longer move properly, which leads to pain.

Complaints around the patellar tendon
Pain felt just below the kneecap near the patellar tendon can have various causes. In a jumper's knee the patellar tendon is affected. If the pain is on the bump just below the patellar tendon, this may indicate Osgood-Schlatter. This is seen mainly during growth.

Meniscus complaints
Complaints of the medial and lateral meniscus can also develop gradually. Sometimes this happens because the quality of the menisci decreases as we age or because the knee is loaded incorrectly for a long time. In this case we speak of degenerative meniscus injury.

Treatment of knee injuries

The treatment of knee injuries depends on the type of injury. Other important aspects for treatment are the mechanism of injury and the location of the pain. A physical therapist can help you with this. In many cases it is necessary to follow an exercise program after the injury. This will make the knee strong again and reduce the risk of being injured again.

Do the self-check

Do you have a knee injury? Then do the self-check and find out what might be causing your knee symptoms.