How serious is supraspinatus tendon injury for soccer players?

For amateur football enthusiasts, especially workers and civil servants, getting injured is considered "a daily occurrence". However, not everyone is aware of the danger level of each type of injury.

Supraspinatus tendon injury is an injury that many amateur soccer players pay little attention to - Photo: THANH DINH

One of the injuries that is often overlooked by amateur soccer players but can cause serious consequences, long-term effects on mobility and quality of life is injury to the supraspinatus tendon in the shoulder.

According to Dr. Hoang Minh Ngoc, Department of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine, 108 Military Central Hospital - a unit accompanying the Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament, said:

“The reason why supraspinatus tendon injuries are often overlooked is because many people think that football is a sport that mainly uses the legs.” Few people realize that collisions, falls or sudden arm movements can also cause serious shoulder injuries.

Supraspinatus tendon and its "key" role in the shoulder joint

The supraspinatus tendon is one of the four tendons in the rotator cuff muscle group, which plays an extremely important role in maintaining and stabilizing the shoulder joint. It helps us perform flexible lifting and rotating movements of the arm.

In football, high impact situations, falls on the hands or sudden shoulder rotations are the leading causes of supraspinatus tendon injuries.

Dr. Ngoc explained: "When colliding, the shoulder hits the ground, or when falling on the hand, the sudden impact can cause the supraspinatus tendon to become inflamed, partially torn, or even completely ruptured." This is a common type of shoulder injury in football, along with shoulder dislocation or clavicle fracture.

Warning signs

Supraspinatus tendon injuries often have quite obvious symptoms but are easily confused with common shoulder pain. Patients need to pay attention to warning signs such as a dull, aching pain deep inside the shoulder, especially the pain becomes worse at night or when lying on the injured shoulder side.

Along with the pain is a marked weakness of the arm, making it difficult for the patient to perform simple daily movements such as combing hair, putting on clothes or reaching for objects above.

Shoulder mobility is also significantly limited, especially when raising the arm up or moving it sideways. In severe cases, the patient may not be able to raise the arm. Sometimes the patient may even hear a cracking or popping sound coming from the shoulder joint when moving.

Danger level and potential complications

Many people often have a subjective mentality, thinking that shoulder pain is just due to a minor collision and will heal on its own. However, Dr. Ngoc warns: "If not diagnosed and treated promptly, damage to the supraspinatus tendon can lead to many dangerous complications."

Prolonged inflammation can cause frozen shoulder syndrome, which causes the shoulder joint to stick together, severely reducing range of motion. In addition, if left untreated, the tendon tear will become wider, leading to loss of shoulder function and even pseudo-paralysis. In the long term, this condition can cause shoulder joint degeneration and muscle atrophy, severely affecting work and daily life.

Diagnosis and treatment

To accurately diagnose supraspinatus tendon injury, doctors will rely on clinical symptoms and may prescribe additional imaging methods such as ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the degree of tendon tear.

Amateur soccer players often pay little attention to injuries that have no obvious symptoms - Photo: NAM TRAN

Depending on the diagnosis, treatment will be given. For minor tears or tendonitis, conservative treatment is often preferred, including rest, ice, and the use of anti-inflammatory pain medications as prescribed by the doctor, combined with physical therapy exercises to restore function.

However, in cases of complete tendon tear or ineffective conservative treatment, arthroscopic surgery to repair the rotator cuff tendon will be indicated. This is a minimally invasive method, helping patients recover quickly and return to daily activities soon.

Advice from the experts

To limit the risk of supraspinatus tendon injuries in particular and shoulder injuries in general, Dr. Ngoc gives some useful advice for amateur soccer players:

Warm up before the match: Always take the time to warm up your joints, especially your shoulders, to warm up and increase muscle flexibility.

Learn proper falling technique: Avoid landing directly on your hands when falling. Instead, learn to roll to reduce the impact on your shoulders.

Strengthen your shoulder muscles: Do additional exercises to strengthen your rotator cuff and the muscles around your shoulder blades.

Do not compete when too tired: A tired body will reduce reflexes and increase the risk of injury.

See a doctor when there are unusual signs : When there are any symptoms of pain or limited mobility in the shoulder, you need to go immediately to a specialized medical facility for timely examination and treatment to avoid unfortunate complications.

Supraspinatus tendon injury is not a simple injury. Being fully equipped with knowledge and awareness of prevention will help amateur soccer players such as workers and civil servants to pursue their passion safely and long-term.

The 2025 Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament is jointly organized by Tuoi Tre Newspaper , Vietnam General Confederation of Labor , and Vietnam Football Federation. This is the third consecutive year the tournament has taken place.

The 2025 tournament is sponsored by Truong Hai Group Joint Stock Company (THACO), Dong Luc Sports Group, HTP Pharmaceutical Investment Joint Stock Company, Hoa Sen Group Joint Stock Company, Sunshine Group, Saigon Water Corporation (SAWACO), Faslink Fashion Connection Joint Stock Company, 108 Central Military Hospital, 175 Military Hospital and a number of enterprises.

The Northern qualifying round took place from October 3 to 5 at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, determining 6 names to win tickets to the national final round, including the champion, the People's Public Security Trade Union.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ton-thuong-gan-co-tren-gai-dang-ngai-the-nao-voi-nguoi-da-bong-2025100715440661.htm