The muscle injury that Chelsea striker Estêvão suffered could have been caused by a number of reasons, but excessive stimulation and inadequate rest are the most common, according to experts consulted by Sheet.
The incident can also be caused by a blow to the muscle when it is contracted. In this circumstance, the injury can occur in anyone who practices any physical activity, for example.
According to the website The Athletic, which is part of the media conglomerate The New York Times, the degree of injury suffered by the Brazilian striker was classified as four, the most serious.
At this stage, the muscle completely ruptures and, in some cases, may also lose its connection with the bone, with the tendon rupture. Estêvão was injured on Saturday (18), during a match for Chelsea, the team he currently defends, against Manchester United. The injury could leave him out of the World Cup to be played in June in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
What is muscle injury
Muscle injury is characterized by the rupture of the muscle fiber, and its degree varies according to the number of ruptured fibers, according to orthopedist José Luís Zabeu, head of orthopedics at Vera Cruz Hospital.
“The muscle has a red part that contracts and expands and a whitish part, the tendon, which connects it to the bone. The muscle injury is the rupture in the red part. Depending on the severity, also in the white part”, he explains.
A person who practices bodybuilding, for example, voluntarily creates injuries in their own muscle, so that it can regenerate and gain more volume, generating muscle mass.
This type of injury, classified as micro, does not have the potential to limit any movement — although it can cause milder pain.
What are the degrees
The severity and location of the damage caused to the muscle fiber determine the degree of the injury, according to Warlindo Neto, a doctor who was part of Team Brazil at the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
“When the injury compromises a small amount of fibers, so as not to impede the movement of the muscle, it is grade one. Grade two already has an impairment of movement, but this does not reach 50%, in addition to a major tear. Grade three is a complete tear: the muscle separates”, explains the doctor, who coordinates the hospitalization at Hospital Alvorada Moema.
To be characterized as grade four, the injury must, in addition to completely tearing the muscle fiber, cause damage to the tendon.
How it happens
Warlindo Neto explains that one of the most common causes is muscular imbalance.
The doctor states that, usually, we have more strength in one of the limbs (arms or legs): in the right, if right-handed; on the left, if left-handed.
“However, this difference cannot exceed 10%”, he says. “For football players, a difference of 5% is sought. If this does not occur, it is as if there was a lack of strength in one of the muscles, leading to the rupture of the fiber.”
The doctor explains that muscle fatigue, diet and lack of rest can also explain the injury. The first signals a muscle resistance limit; the second, the nutrients it will have to rebuild itself; and third, the time required for this.
Orthopedist Everson Giriboni states that injury to muscle fibers can also occur due to “high-energy trauma”.
“If you bend your finger down and force it into that position, any sudden force in the opposite direction can injure the muscle. That is, if someone pulls your finger up suddenly, it could cause an injury. The same applies to other muscle injuries,” he says.
Sedentary people, he says, are more prone to injuries from this cause. “The muscle becomes stiff due to the lack of stimulus and cannot withstand a sudden demand, as it has no elasticity”, he explains.
How long does recovery take
According to experts, complete muscle regeneration can take place in three to six months, depending on how it is conducted.
If a tendon rupture is found, Estêvão must undergo surgery, which could extend the period necessary for recovery.
Failure to respect the appropriate time could lead to a new injury which, according to doctors, would constitute a more serious scenario.
Physiotherapist Avelino Buongermino, who worked for 13 years as Santos’ physiotherapy coordinator, states that Estêvão’s injury to the back of his thigh affects an “important muscle for starting, for muscular power”.
He says that, depending on confirmation of the severity of the injury, the player’s team may opt for alternative treatment, in an attempt to recover him in time for the World Cup.
“Conservative treatment without surgery may be suggested, which is not the most common in these cases,” said Buongermino.
