MUSCAT, FEB 28
A senior sports medicine physician who had a career spanning more than 40 years at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth warned of the rising threat of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in Oman recently.
“I believe the number (ACL injuries) is rising due to not following the protocols of playing sports, especially football in Oman among the general population,” Dr Mahmoud Shehabullah told Oman Observer.
“When I recently visited my clinic at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, I could see several ACL injuries being reported daily and the figures are alarming compared to the population who are playing the game in Oman.”
“Though it's mostly a non-contact injury, one must know how to land while tackling a ball aerially. If one of the knees is twisted or a direct kick on the knee means absolutely there is no point of return.
“I worked in this part of the world for more than 40 years but the injury curve is the same but recently it’s above the previous year’s statistics.”
The facilities have improved in Oman regarding the ACL surgery and reconstruction.
“There are at least 10 institutions ready to reconstruct ACL and they are giving good attention to the ill-fated victims. But no one bothers to show minimum interest to spread awareness among the public and athletes on how to prevent injuries. Though there are some seminars and symposiums being organised in this regard we need more intensive campaigns given the alarming rate of ACL injuries in Oman,” the veteran physician said.
So there is an urgent need for a precision awareness programme for the sports loving, soccer playing individuals, he said.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
In his message to Omani sportspersons and sports lovers, he said: “The general crowd is very much interested to take part in sports specially soccer but unfortunately they don’t follow the rules of the game. Because ignorance is playing a major part in a major injury.”
“So always listen to your body. Get assessed before taking part in any sports.”
Most of the major injuries are coming from the general population who are playing for fun and they are very serious about playing soccer regularly, he said.
These injuries are mainly due to ignorance of the sport, lack of education, no assessment before joining sports, playing on hard surfaces, uneven beach, biomechanical deficits and lack of discipline. Other factors include faulty shoes and lack of stretching before involving in any training or sports.
“Most of the knee injuries are suicidal. Wrong training/ failure to land properly/ wrong surface/ wrong equipment/ no proper stretching or warming up / dehydration etc are causing the injuries to the fun loving soccer playing groups. They outnumber the professional or club playing athletes also,” Shehabullah added.
“The community / family/ friends must make a distress call to enlighten such individuals playing football,” he concluded.
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