Non Leg Injuries In Football Players

In addition to the common leg, knee, and ankle injuries sustained by football players, there are also several injuries that occur outside of the region - mainly in the shoulders and hips.
 
A hip pointer is an unusual, though very painful, injury that occurs exclusively in athletes who play sports with helmets. When a helmet collides with the iliac crest or the hip bone of another player it can cause varying levels of damage to muscles, tendons, and ligaments but usually causes bleeding and bruising in the abdominal muscles. This normally occurs during game play when a player tackles into you using the strength of his helmet.
 
AC Joint (or acromioclavicular) separation occurs when the two bones forming the upper shoulder joint are separated from one another. This is caused by damage to the ligaments connecting them and is usually related to a fall on an outstretched arm.
 
AC joint injuries are graded on a scale from 1-6 using the Rockwood scale.
Grade 1 is a simple sprain to the AC joint
Grade 2 involves rupture of the AC ligament 
Grade 3 rupture of both AC and CC ligaments which often results in a superior displacement.
 
From this point onwards the scale and grade of injury depends on the degree of displacement of the clavicle.
Grade 4 involves posterior displacement
Grade 5 superior displacement, to a greater degree than grade 3, with an increase in coracoclavicular space by 3-5 times the norm. A step deformity may be apparent with grade 3, 4 & 5 injuries.
Grade 6 involves full rupture of both AC and CC ligaments with the clavicle being displaced inferiorly.
 
Shoulder dislocation is a common traumatic injury across a wide range of sports. It is generally caused by a direct hit to the shoulder or a fall by a player. This commonly occurs during tackle. The player will immediately feel severe pain along with a sensation of popping out. Generally the player should see a doctor immediately about popping the shoulder joint back in before futher damage is sustained.
 
For such a physical, contact sport, football players can sustain a wide and varying degree of injuries. While injury may not be unavoidable, it is entirely possible to mitigate some of the injuries using proper prevention techniques.