Sports medicine expert Boris Gojanovic spoke to The Watson about the injury of Swiss player Manzanbi.
The progression of a knee contusion can vary greatly. In the best-case scenario, it's simply a direct impact to the knee—similar to a typical contusion. With ice, rest, and possibly pain medication, the player could return to the field within a few days.
However, injuries can also be much more serious. If the bone is injured, fluid may accumulate in the joint, causing the knee to swell and making it difficult to bear weight on the affected limb. In such cases, two to three weeks of rest are common.
An athlete's performance depends more on specific symptoms than on a specific diagnosis. Pain can severely impair explosive starts, changes of direction, or bracing movements during physical contact.
Therefore, at this level of competition, playing with an injury is often not feasible if an athlete cannot withstand the high-intensity physical load. Although playing with an injury usually does not cause permanent knee damage, it can delay the recovery process; in addition, compensatory movements can increase the risk of injury to other parts of the body. Ultimately, these factors are what prevented Manzanbi from playing against Argentina.
