Joey Barton, broke his metatarsal because he was wearing bladed football boots, claims Carlisle management.
Joey Barton, the new Newcastle United midfielder, broke the metatarsal in his left foot on Saturday and had surgery Monday that will keep him out of action for six to eight weeks, meaning he will miss the start of the season.
Barton, a recent England international, was Newcastle’s captain on Saturday and at first, the injury didn’t look serious, there was no contact, but he pulled up sharply.
Carlisle United’s physio, Neil Dalton, who is qualified with a Diploma in Sports Therapy and a Degree in Physiotherapy, saw Barton pull up and was quite specific about the cause of the injury.
Dalton said;
“In my opinion these new boots have a lot to answer for, maybe there is just not enough protection on them. I do feel that is one of the reasons that we’re seeing more of this kind of injury, but it’s the players’ decision to wear. If it was up to me, they wouldn’t be allowed.”
What is a Metatarsal Injury?
The metatarsal bones are the long bones in the front part of the foot. They are the most common bone for stress fractures, simply because they bear so much of the body’s weight.
If your walking, your foot absorbs one and a half times your body’s weight. If your running, it is absorbing two, maybe three times the body’s weight. Jumping or twisting your foot whilst playing football can exert even more pressure on your foot.
Metatarsal Injuries and Football Boots
Lightweight football boots and football boots with bladed stud configurations are often cited as attributing factors which causes the injury to the metatarsal.
Sir Alex Ferguson is reported to have banned bladed boots at Manchester United and Craig Johnston, the inventor of the Predator football boot, has also gone on record blaming football boots.
Barton’s recent injury happened whilst he was wearing the new Nike Total 90 Laser football boot. The football boot had a mixed stud configuration of moulded and blades.
The boot manufacturers have been making efforts however, for example the Umbro Ultra SX football boots incorporate a metatarsal protection shock cushioning and hummel address the issue with conical round studs in the pivot point area under the metatarsal.
The FA Audit of injuries would suggest that there has not been an increase in metatarsal injuries, but we think it is high time football officials conducted some research, not just for the sake of the top professionals in the game, but also for the amateurs playing football for leisure.
also players need to focus a lot more on how they play specifically and holistically. maybe we need a speed limit and loads of teaching on how never to break your bones.