With the FIFA World Cup 2026 underway in North America, football fever has swept across Assam and other North-East states, with inspiring thousands of children and young adults to kick the ball about with their friends. As excitement around the tournament builds, specialists at Gurugram-based Medanta– The Medicity — ranked India’s best hospital by Newsweek in 2026 — are using the moment to highlight an issue they encounter regularly in clinical practice: preventable sports injuries among young footballers.
Dr. Attique Vasdev, Vice Chairman, Orthopaedics at Medanta Gurugram said among the various injuries that affect young footballers, ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tears stand out as one of the most serious, often requiring months of rehabilitation and recovery. He said, “The ACL is one of the key ligaments that stabilises the knee joint. It can tear during sudden changes in direction, awkward landings after a jump, or forceful tackles. Symptoms often include a popping sensation, swelling, severe pain, and difficulty bearing weight on the affected leg.”
This injury affects professional and amateur footballers alike, and its impact can be long-lasting — football accounts for nearly one-third of all sports-related knee injuries in India, and recovery from an ACL rupture can take several months. Many athletes struggle to return to their previous level of sport after the injury.
Emphasizing that delayed diagnosis remains one of the biggest challenges, Dr. Vasdev said, “Many players ignore the injury initially, hoping it will improve on its own. By the time they seek treatment, additional damage such as meniscus tears may have occurred, making recovery more complicated.”
He also noted that most ACL injuries do not occur during collisions — studies indicate that most ACL tears are non-contact injuries, often resulting from a simple pivot or misstep during play.
Dr. Vasdev underscored that prevention remains the most effective strategy, pointing to research that suggests that many ACL injuries can be prevented through structured warm-up and neuromuscular strengthening programmes, particularly when they combine strength, balance, agility, and landing technique exercises.
He also stressed that an ACL injury is not the end of an athlete’s sporting journey. Advances in sports medicine, physiotherapy, and minimally invasive surgical techniques have significantly improved outcomes over the past decade, allowing many players to regain strength, confidence, and return to the game they love.
With Assam’s football culture continuing to grow through school tournaments, district leagues, and prestigious competitions such as the Bordoloi Trophy, doctors see a valuable opportunity to build a safer sporting environment for the next generation.
Dr. Attique said, “The World Cup will inspire thousands of young people to dream bigger and spend more time on the football field. That is something to celebrate. With the right training, awareness, and timely care, injuries can be prevented.”
