Goalkeepers fly through the air to make diving saves. They charge straight toward onrushing forwards, trying to snag the ball from the forward's cleats and their hard, potentially painful studs. Parrying high crosses and corner kicks requires them to leap up into a scrum in front of goal. Goalkeepers suffer the risk of injury as part of their job description, with unskilled opponents who can't avoid a collision and those who try to kick the ball when it within the keeper's grasp as additional sources of potential peril.
Significance
In terms of all soccer injuries, 88 percent are localized to the lower extremities, with ankle sprains the most common injury, writes kinesiology professor William J. Kraemer in "Strength Training for Sport." Goalkeepers, though, tend to have a specific injury pattern different from field players in that goalkeepers sustain 60 percent of upper extremity injuries among professional soccer players.
Types
Goalies can suffer head injuries in collisions with other players or the goalposts. From diving to get the ball on the ground, they may suffer abrasions from landing, shoulder dislocations, wrist and forearm fractures and fractured, dislocated or sprained fingers. Rotator cuff tears or tears of the labrum, a cuff of tissue in the shoulder joint, may result from throwing the ball. Goalkeepers also are vulnerable to lower extremity injuries of the ankle and knee, just like field players. Diving to the side may cause hip injuries, with rates of injury higher for indoor than outdoor soccer and for amateurs compared with pro goalies.
Case Studies
Given the rigors of high-speed action around the goal, it's no wonder that high-profile goalkeepers become injured. Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech suffered a skull fracture in 2006 after a collision with a forward and recovered to return to the nets for his London club. He wears a protective custom-made helmet to protect his head. U.S. women's keeper Hope Solo suffered an injury to the labrum of her right shoulder, a problem referred to as a "Drew Brees injury" after the New Orleans Saints quarterback's similar tear. She had her shoulder rebuilt and underwent rehabilitation to return to her team. France's Berangere Sapowicz and Ingrid Hjelmseth of Norway each twisted an ankle in the Women's World Cup and needed to be replaced.
Prevention
U.S. men's national team goalkeeper coach Timothy Mulqueen recommends strength training and staying fit as part of goalkeeper injury prevention, as well as avoiding Superman saves that force you to land on the wrist. In practice, limit the repetitions of diving saves, and ideally work on the dives on sandy ground or gym mats. Proper equipment for injury prevention includes goalkeeping gloves, as well as shorts or warm-up pants padded in the hips.
References
- "Strength Training for Sport"; William J. Kraemer, et al.; 2002
- "Sportverletz Sportschaden"; Hip Injuries in Professional and Amateur Soccer Goalkeepers; K.U. Schmidtt; September 2008
- "The Telegraph"; Chelsea Goalkeeper Petr Cech Admits That Head Injury and Fatherhood Changed His Life; Duncan White; December 2008
- ESPN Soccer; Hope Solo's Painful Journey; Jeff Carlisle; June 2011
- Women's Soccer Weekly; Sweden Takes 3rd Place; K.C. Albertina; July 2011
- Women's Soccer Weekly; Australia 2, Norway 1; K.C. Albertina; July 2011
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