Mandible corpus fracture in an elite soccer player during match: treatment and return to sport

The majority of soccer injuries are lower extremity injuries; head, neck and facial injuries are the second most common, also depending on the player's position. Approximately 30% of all maxillofacial and skull fractures are recorded as sports-related injuries. Among all sports, most maxillofacial fractures (MFF) are seen in ball games, especially in soccer and handball. Most of the maxillofacial injuries that occur in soccer result in fractures. These fractures are most commonly zygomatic and nasal bone, followed by the mandible. MFF are fractures with potential to create functional and aesthetic problems. In this paper, we present the case of a professional soccer player who was hit on the jaw, an incident which resulted in a mandible fracture. His treatment and return to sport are described. The athlete who returned to the match after the trauma was diagnosed with 3-D computed tomography at the end of the match and was operated on the same day. After an open reduction-internal fixation, the athlete was discharged on the 3rd day and was able to return to training with the team after 6 weeks.