The Soccer Laduma Deep Heat team is dedicated to helping the fans stay on top of the latest injury news.
On the injured list this week: Marouane Fellaini
Current club: Manchester United
Injury: Muscular back injury
Soccer Laduma injury brief: Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini suffered a back injury during his club's 1-0 victory over Hull City on 27 August, but was still included in the Belgium squad for their matches against Spain and Cyprus.
Attending physio: Russel Looms BHMS Hons (Biokinetics), EPT Recovery Centre
The Physio says:
A back injury can be caused by a variety of issues. It is important that a professional (physiotherapist or biokineticist) does a full assessment, or get your sports physician to give a diagnosis. In some cases, it may be mechanical; then you need to look at the glutes (buttocks muscles) and the pelvis (hip bone structure). If it's not mechanical, then you need to look closer at the injury. There can be hundreds of issues.
Recommended rehab exercise:
Use Deep Heat to alleviate pain, particularly on the region where the pain is most severe. For muscle injury, it's safest to visit your doctor for a proper assessment and diagnosis as to whether it is a serious injury, or just a strain. If you have hurt your lower back, be careful of certain exercises such as sit-ups. They could do more harm to your injury and cause an increase in pain. I would recommend doing some light training that involves your glutes (gluteus maximus) and doesn't put strain on your back. Stay away from weight training if you have a lower back injury.
Estimated time of recovery:
For a strain, you're looking at a maximum of two to three weeks as it is not too serious, but, depending on the severity and if one is receiving treatment, it could be as much as a few months.
How to prevent this injury from recurring:
Doing your exercises in the correct posture, which means keeping your back straight and also making sure you're strengthening your core. Do your stretches. An important factor is doing a correct warm-up, which helps prevent severe injuries from occurring. Use Deep Heat to assist in your warm-up process.
Notable players who suffered this injury in the past:
• Diafra Sakho
• Neymar
• Lionel Messi
