SOCCER PLAYERS ARE COLLOASPING FROM HEART PROBLEMS - Its a bigger prob

Life can be cruel; one day, you could be living the dream, then lying in a hospital bed the next! What we will be discussing today is most likely to be one of the saddest things in soccer or any sport. Recently, many cases reported of perfectly healthy soccer players collapsing while playing, and the numbers are only increasing. 

Today, we will discuss this matter in detail, along with possible solutions, cautions, and remedies. But, we must take these events into account, and we should discuss the possible treatments and red flags to raise awareness among the millions of players around the globe to prevent suffering the same faith.

WHY DO FOOTBALLERS COLLAPSE?

Many players may ponder what are the primary reasons soccer players and other athletes collapse? These cases are more likely to occur in sports which involve intense aerobic activities, and soccer is one of them. Our heart plays a vital role in providing oxygen to our whole body during running, sprinting, and exerting force. When soccer players collapse, it's always somehow related to cardiac problems. For a runner, or more precisely, for a soccer player, good cardiac health is undebatable. So, the primary reason why footballers collapse during training or on the pitch is the unnoticed and underlying medical issues, most probably related to the heart. 

RED FLAGS 

It's essential to know your body and what it's trying to tell you. Diseases in the human body often show symptoms before it gets severe. Here are a few red flags that everyone should be aware of and help determine whether or not you may be to get checked by a doctor before it's too late.

• If you have chest pain while playing soccer or experience it off the pitch, you should immediately take a break from soccer. It's time to see a Cardiologist! 
• Another red flag is shortness of breath. If you feel difficulty breathing, you need to stop running as it's becoming difficult for your heart to pump blood as you keep exerting. 
• Similarly, Vomiting and Nausea are also common symptoms underlying heart problems.
• Lower or Upper body pain is a red flag when playing soccer, as it may indicate underlying medical problems that shouldn't be allowed to grow chronic. 
• Last but not least, Excessive Fatigue is also a warning sign coming from your body to take immediate precautions. 

It's perilous to ignore these symptoms and signals, and it may lead to the unfortunate event in question today. If you play soccer and appear to have these symptoms, get yourself medically checked up as soon as possible. Also, early detection and remedy can prevent you from hanging your football shoes forever. 

POSSIBLE REMEDIES

In the 21st century, the medical sciences are advanced, and fortunately, remedies are available. But before scheduling an appointment with your doctor, we advise you to follow these tips early on, even when the symptoms are mild because prevention is better than cure!

• Stress and depression contribute a lot to cardiac diseases. Whether the pressure is on the pitch or off the pitch, it is dangerous. You need to immediately identify the stressor and address the issue without taking much heat to your mind. Only a healthy mind can have a healthy body. 
• Maintaining your Diet has utmost importance. Stop eating unhealthy food. That may include high cholesterol or fatty foods. You may need to reduce this habit before it starts affecting your heart. Choose to eat green fruits and vegetables. Stay close to nature when it comes to food!
• Research your families' history. Heart diseases are often inherited, even if you feel healthy. If your family has a cardiac disease history, you should be careful while playing soccer not to push yourself too hard and consider your lifestyle.
• Suppose you do feel anything wrong with your cardiac health. In that case, the ultimate solution is seeking medical help. Consult your doctor to get professional advice on carrying on with your life and soccer as soon as possible. 

5 SOCCER STARS WHO COLLAPSED 

There were a lot of events in soccer history, and recently when players collapsed during a soccer game. Few survived, while others, unfortunately, couldn't make it out alive. Here are examples of the greatest names in soccer who had to go through this. 

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN:

Anyone who watches soccer in recent times knows Christian Eriksen's magical moments with Tottenham. Eriksen's incident impacted and saddened the whole soccer community. Here's what happened. 

In Euro 2020 this summer, Christian was featured for Denmark's opening tournament game against Finland. In the 42nd minute of the game, Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest, as all the players ran towards him and made a circle around him. Later came the best news for Eriksen as he communicated through his Instagram that he's doing well now. There is also news that Eriksen might return to playing following a surgical treatment that he received recently. But he was kept from playing soccer for the whole 2021-22 season, which is ongoing. 

Get well soon, Legend! 

ABDELHAK NOURI:

Abdelhak Nouri was Ajax's young prospect, coming through their Academy ranks. After a brilliant season with the reserve side, Ajax's first team promoted Nouri for the 2017/18 season.

But Nouri took a beautiful career and normality away from Abdelhak Nouri in this tragedy. In a friendly fixture against Werder Bremen on 8th July 2017, Nouri collapsed and was rushed to the hospital by a helicopter, where stabilized. It was a sigh of relief for everyone, but after five days, Ajax officials revealed that Nouri had suffered a permanent brain loss due to the incident, and hence he is in a coma. Nouri fought back and came out of the coma but hasn't yet regained control over his body. Let's hope he recovers completely! He's in a wheelchair now. 

IKER CASILLAS:

Another beloved name of the soccer world is Iker Casillas, who's also on the list today. One of the greatest goalkeepers soccer has ever seen, Real Madrid's proud Legend! On 1st May 2019, Iker Casillas suffered a mild heart attack during the training with FC Porto; as the news spread, it created havoc all around the soccer community, especially in Madrid, where Casillas is loved dearly. He remained in hospital for five days. But this incident forced him to retire from soccer. 

MARC VIVIAN FOE

Let's go back to the 2003 FIFA Confederations cup when Cameroon faced Colombia in the semifinals. In the 72nd minute of the match, Cameroonian midfielder Marc Vivian Foe collapsed in the center circle of the pitch. Sadly, no one was near him to give him immediate attention, as the medics rushed inside the pitch and tried to provide him with first aid treatment. Marc suffered a heart attack, and sadly he died shortly after several attempts of reviving his heart. 

Manchester City retired his jersey number 23 to pay him tribute! The world still remembers you, Marc!

SERGIO KUN AGUERO

Sergio Aguero's case is the hot talk in the soccer world these days. The former Manchester City player and Legend joined FC Barcelona in 2021 with the hopes of playing at Camp Nou at the end of his glorious career. Upon injury, Aguero started in the Laliga fixture between Barcelona and Alaves on 31st October 2021. He signaled towards the dugout for substitution during the match with his hand on his chest as he found it difficult to breathe. Aguero was subbed off and rushed to hospital, revealing that the legendary striker had cardiac complications during the game. Seeing a player of such magnitude experiencing this is truly sad. 

The latest news suggests that 'Kun' might have to hang his boots permanently because of heart disease. It can't be the end! But health comes first; only time will tell how Aguero's case develops! Aguero confirmed on 12th November 2021 that he would announce his decision in February, following the medical procedures going on! Let's hope we once again witness this goal machine on the soccer pitch!

We are fortunate that many players survive, but some are not so lucky. In 2021 alone, 14 soccer players have died from cardiac arrest during games, some as young as 15 years old. 

So what should we be looking to identify possible heart issues?  

We gave some tips above, but it helps to know the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest.

"A heart attack is a plumbing problem," says Dr. Chris Simpson, chief of cardiology at Queen's University. An artery leading to the heart becomes blocked, usually from cholesterol build-up, and the part of the heart muscle fed by that artery becomes damaged.

"Cardiac arrest is an electrical problem," Dr. Simpson says. "The natural rhythm of the heart that generates every heartbeat that you have suddenly either just completely stops and becomes electrically silent, or it becomes so fast and erratic that your heart muscle essentially can't keep up with all the electrical signals. So it just quivers – quivers – and it can't generate any pumping output."

Sudden cardiac arrest is usually due to a handful of genetically inherited heart rhythm disorders. These conditions can be challenging to diagnose, Dr. Simpson says, "but one of the things we've found recently is that if you take the whole universe of people who just dropped dead at age 23, it turns out that over half of them, in retrospect, had some warning signs."

Conclusion

Health comes first! Anything can be compromised when it comes to health. We wish nothing but a safe and sound healthy life to all the surviving victims. With the increase in the cases of players collapsing, we need to raise awareness around this matter. 

Here you have a complete blueprint of symptoms, solutions, and examples, which you can use to your benefit if you play soccer. Please share this article with your friends and family and on your social media so we can help someone before it's too late!