Houston Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery 1-713-791-0700

2014 World Cup puts Spotlight on

Soccer-Related Facial Fractures
Soccer is an interesting sport and has millions of fans
worldwide. The latest edition of the World Cup saw
erman! crowned world
champions. "owe#er$
soccer-related in%uries
which occur as part of on-
field tac&les ma&e
headlines almost as
fre'uentl! as the matches
themsel#es. (arious t!pes of in%uries got se#eral pla!ers
ruled out of the tournament$ and host countr! )ra*il+s ,id
to its si-th World Cup suffered a harsh ,low when a
#erte,rae in%ur! put )arcelona stri&er .e!mar out of
action.
/an! pla!ers li&e )astian Schweinsteiger$ Clint 0empse!$
and Thomas /uller suffered facial in%uries. 1n fact$ the
World Cup fe#er had turned attention to soccer-related
facial in%uries e#en ,efore the tournament ,egan. 2n the
e#e of the 3014 World Cup$ a group of )ra*ilian surgeons
re#iewed soccer-related facial fractures in a stud!
pu,lished in Plastic and 5econstructi#e Surger!-lo,al
2pen6$ the official open-access medical %ournal of the
7merican Societ! of Plastic Surgeons 87SPS9.
7ccording to the stud!$ soccer pla!ers are at ris& of nasal
and other facial fractures as their face is e-posed with lac&
of protection during the game. The researchers collected
Houston Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery 1-713-791-0700
statistics on 4: patients who underwent surgical treatment
for soccer-related facial fractures at 3 top uni#ersit!
hospital centers in Sao Paulo in the period ,etween 3000
and 3013. "ere are the main findings of the report
4: soccer in%uries accounted for 3; of surgicall!
treated facial fractures during the period
<ort!-four of the candidates were male and their
a#erage age was 3= !ears
>ight!-se#en percent of the in%uries were due to
collision with another pla!er
The remaining in%uries occurred when the pla!er was
struc& ,! the ,all
7ll of the in%ured pla!ers were amateurs
.ose and upper %aw 8ma-illa9 contri,uted 3: percent
of fractures
Chee&,one 8*!gomatic ,one9 accounted for another 3:
percent
The ma%orit! of the other fractures were of the lower
%aw 8mandi,le9 and e!e soc&et 8or,it9
The patients were hospitali*ed for a,out : da!s on a#erage
and most of them could return to pla! after ?-= wee&s of
healing. Treatment for nasal fractures in#ol#ed
repositioning the fractured ,ones to their right place and
splinting till healing is complete. 2pen surger! and internal
fi-ation were needed to reposition the ,ones for other t!pes
of facial fractures. The a#erage dela! from in%ur! till
operation was a,out se#en da!s and in some cases up to 33
da!s.
Houston Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery 1-713-791-0700
The researchers highlighted the need for proper awareness
among first-responders$ nurses$ and doctors who ha#e
initial contact with the in%ured pla!er a,out the potential for
soccer-related facial fractures and the fracture patterns.
1mproper or missed diagnosis and dela!ed treatment can
lead to facial deformities and functional pro,lems related
,reathing$ #ision$ and chewing. The! also stressed that the
nasal ca#it! had to ,e e-amined for the possi,ilit! of septal
hematomas or ,lood collections9.
Pla!ers who suffer in%uries should see& consult a plastic
surgeon specialized in craniofacial surgery. With
e-pertise in reconstructi#e and cosmetic procedures$ such
surgeons can treat fractures of the nose and upper %aw and
lower %aw as well as repair facial in%ur! and trauma. .asal
deformities can ,e set right with rhinoplast!. Pla!ers who
suffer sport in%uries should ta&e time-out or a ,rea& from
the game for as long as their doctor recommends. With the
right treatment$ the! ha#e e#er! chance of getting ,ac& on
the field and winning laurels once again.