Spor Sakatlıklarından Korunma ve Rehabilitasyon 6

The lower extremity is considered to be the region encompassing the hip, knee, ankle, and toes (Liaghat et al. 2023). It carries the entire weight of the body and plays a significant role in movement actions such as running, jumping, sudden changes of direction, and stopping. During these movements, external impacts or internal forces can cause soft tissues to be pulled, torn, or ruptured (Shi et al. 2022). Studies indicate that a strong lower extremity structure contributes positively to athletic performance and is also considered a preventative measure against injuries (Hanlon et al. 2020). In their study, Ishøi et al. (2020) found that 92% of all muscle tissue injuries encountered in football were related. They stated that this percentage was 37% hamstring injuries, 23% adductor injuries, 19% rectus femoris/quadriceps injuries, and 13% calf injuries (Ishøi et al. 2020). In their study, Vereijken et al. (2020) found that the average time away from sports due to lower extremity injury was approximately 16 days, varying between 2 and 407 days (Vereijken et al. 2020). The same study also found that only 31-68% of athletes were able to return to their pre-injury performance level after surgical treatment of lower extremity injuries, while 66-91% did not reach their pre-injury performance level (Vereijken et al. 2020). In light of this information, further studies on lower extremity injuries in sports, their types, diagnosis, and treatment methods are deemed appropriate.