Theo Walcott ruled out for six months
- Thread starter King Binny
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I think he was fairly fucked before that injury in fairness.
"April 12, 1999: Owen tore a hamstring for the first time playing for Liverpool at Leeds. Aged 19, his blistering pace lost its throttle. “Getting that massive injury at Leeds has probably changed and shaped my whole career,” said Owen. “Since I was 19, I’ve been compromised. If I did that now, it would be surgically repaired like it’s brand new. I wouldn’t even know I had an injury. Back then you just let it go."
Yep.... it appears they only had horseshit back then.
I remember that Sweden game - one of the most ridiculous injuries I've ever seen and a perfect illustration of the failings of so many conditioners of the time...... and, unfortunately, probably today also. I actually posted about it on KT in 2004 when they talked up a new training regime for Owen to overcome his hamstring problems.
The issue with ligament damage is that it is so often a result of strength and conditioning. Ligaments don't get stronger when you train - they don't break down and rebuild like a muscle does; in fact, they don't rebuild at all. When you tear a ligament in your ankle or knee it doesn't heal - the tear simply joins together as scar tissue which has none of the flexibility of the ligament. So, when you tear a ligament the scar tissue forms and then when you get up and run around it feels a little "looser". When you use a joint the ligament stretches and then tightens to hold the joint together and prevent muscular or skeletal injury. Scar tissue doesn't stretch and then tighten to hold the joint together - when stretched it simply tears again.
The problem driven by poor training is that the muscular development increases, the player becomes stronger and faster but the ligaments are not conditioned to deal with the greater dynamism and forces being bought to bear. The result is predictable. When the player is threatened with injury the ligament tightens to prevent the injury but the forces are now greater due to the increased strength so in attempting to hold the joint together the ligament tears or ruptures.
This was the issue for Owen with hamstring issues. The hamstring works to protect the knee - if it is injured the hamstring immediately tightens right up in order to prevent any further knee injury. If you've ever had a serious knee injury one of the first things a physio will do is give you a pain killer to relax the hamstring - until that happens they can't asses the knee itself. If you then strengthen the hamstring in isolation to the rest of the leg the result is fairly obvious - a knee injury is imminent. In some ways that knee injury against Sweden was caused by Owen himself - and his trainers.
The issue with ligament damage is that it is so often a result of strength and conditioning. Ligaments don't get stronger when you train - they don't break down and rebuild like a muscle does; in fact, they don't rebuild at all. When you tear a ligament in your ankle or knee it doesn't heal - the tear simply joins together as scar tissue which has none of the flexibility of the ligament. So, when you tear a ligament the scar tissue forms and then when you get up and run around it feels a little "looser". When you use a joint the ligament stretches and then tightens to hold the joint together and prevent muscular or skeletal injury. Scar tissue doesn't stretch and then tighten to hold the joint together - when stretched it simply tears again.
The problem driven by poor training is that the muscular development increases, the player becomes stronger and faster but the ligaments are not conditioned to deal with the greater dynamism and forces being bought to bear. The result is predictable. When the player is threatened with injury the ligament tightens to prevent the injury but the forces are now greater due to the increased strength so in attempting to hold the joint together the ligament tears or ruptures.
This was the issue for Owen with hamstring issues. The hamstring works to protect the knee - if it is injured the hamstring immediately tightens right up in order to prevent any further knee injury. If you've ever had a serious knee injury one of the first things a physio will do is give you a pain killer to relax the hamstring - until that happens they can't asses the knee itself. If you then strengthen the hamstring in isolation to the rest of the leg the result is fairly obvious - a knee injury is imminent. In some ways that knee injury against Sweden was caused by Owen himself - and his trainers.
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