Injuries in Wrestling

“When you sign up for wrestling—you are signing up for injuries”

These were the first words TCNJ's Athletic Trainer, Megan Guicheteau, said when asked about wrestlers' injuries.

“When guys sign up for football or soccer there is a possibility that they will become injured but on average the injuries don't last longer than two weeks.” continued Guicheteau. “When wrestlers sign up they are guaranteed to get injured and they are long-term injuries. Lasting usually four to six weeks at best...usually longer.”

The physical strain wrestlers have to endure is far greater than any other sport. Wrestling has a much more aggressive nature in the playing of the game than other sports, which then leads to more injuries.

The most common injuries are knee injuries, ankle injuries and shoulder injuries. Also high on the list of common injuries are over-use injuries, injuries from the impact of landing hard on the mat, and injuries from contact with their opponent during a meet (for instance, concussions, muscle soreness, and bruising).

The three different kinds of bruises are subcutaneous, a bruise beneath the skin; intramuscular, a bruise within a muscle; and periosteal, a bruise to a bone. These are all very common among wrestlers.

The shoulder injuries consist mostly of rotator cuff tendinitis from the persistent strain of grappling their opponent for position. The knee injuries are usually jarred knees from planting their feet on the ground to control their balance. Ankle injuries are usually sprains and occur when the wrestler lands in an inverted or everted position.

“For football players we usually see around forty players at the same time,” said Guicheteau. “But that's out of ninety to a hundred players on the team. We have around forty-five to fifty wrestlers and we usually treat thirty to forty of them at the same time and their injuries are usually more serious and more painful than the football players' injuries.”

Just over a month ago on the TCNJ's wrestling team, Joe Falco sprained his ankle. He was out for two weeks but those weeks seemed like eternity.

“I just tried not to think about being injured.” said Falco “It's so hard being out and watching everyone around you still practicing and playing. I felt like I was never going to get better. I was lucky, though; it could have been a lot worse. Even now, when I’m healed, my ankle still bothers me sometimes. When I'm practicing or in a game I try just to focus on something else.”

Falco's mental game needs to be just as strong as his physical game because that is what holds his body together during a match.

Injuries in wrestling are very serious and cannot be taken lightly. The wrestler's body goes through so much strain from being malnourished, exercising excessively and playing a sport which causes the most injuries that it takes its toll on the players.