Return-to-Play After Minor Overuse or Traumatic Injury: ‘Stay and Play on Field’

Abstract

The scientific literature comprises many respected publications on the treatment and return-to-play process after severe football injuries, particularly those requiring surgery. In contrast, frequent but less severe football injuries, such as muscle or ankle sprains and contusions, are less well documented in the literature. Such reports often have a low level of evidence on return-to-play procedures, and there is a lack of guidelines on treatment and the return-to-play process. Less severe football injuries are generally not followed by any time away from competition and therefore underrepresented in scientific research. Thus, the timing of return-to-play processes after minor injuries depends on the experience and education of the responsible medical team.

The term ‘stay & play on field’ includes minor injuries that do not involve any severe injuries like bone fractures—and thus do not interrupt training or competition—as well as injuries resulting in the temporary cessation of training sessions for up to 1 week. To achieve the aim ‘stay & play on field’, the medical team supporting the injured player should be highly knowledgeable in football medicine, first aid on field, clinical diagnostics, tissue regeneration and conservative and alternative treatments as well as pain management.

Few scientific reports with a high level of evidence are available on this subject. Therefore, the highest level of evidence in this respect is the experience of experts, and this situation needs to be improved in the future. The following chapter describes the principles of diagnostics and treatment options for minor football injuries and shows ways of achieving ‘stay & play on field’.