5 questions for Ulrich Schleicher

Berlin - Schleicher has been looking after the footballers at Hertha BSC Berlin for 18 years. When he comes to the stadium, the tension grabs him to this day.

5 questions to Dr. med. Ulrich Schleicher, specialist in orthopedics and trauma surgery, sports medicine and team doctor from Hertha BSC Berlin.

DÄ: You say it yourself: looking after professionals is very special. Are you in contact with other team doctors? Ulrich Schleicher: "Once year he invites the medical teams of the Bundesliga teams to conference, and if the appointment does not conflict with the training camp, I try to take part. In addition to treatment methods and the exchange of football-specific problems and injuries, lot is about doping and nutritional issues. This is very important because, as team doctor, you are always concerned that something will happen through carelessness, for example when using dietary supplements. You have to be very careful. For me it is fascinating on these occasions to find out which new methods and possibilities can be tried out in order to get the players fit again quickly. Basically, I think that I seek advice if we get stuck with an injury. At the beginning of my career I flew with players to Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt in Munich in order to benefit from his experience. "

DÄ: You also know professional football the phenomenon of the second opinion, and if so, how do you feel about it? Schleicher: “It happens again and again that players want to go somewhere else before they even start therapy with us. It is often the foreign players who like to visit doctors in their home country because they feel strange here. Such decisions are not to be taken personally.

I'm not someone who insists on how to do it. If you have this attitude, you lose the player's trust and they go on their way afterwards without us knowing what's going on. That is dangerous if only in view of the doping problem. In these cases you have to put your ego back. In the end, what counts is the result, namely that player becomes fit again. ”

DÄ: The Bundesliga has particularly high number of injured players this season, it seems. Is this just subjective perception or is it really so? Schleicher: “The discussion about the extent to which stress in games and training leads to more injuries has existed for as long as I am doing the job. And of course there is something to it. It is always about which training methods may lead to injuries, which training intensities lead to it and what the stresses of the game are. In addition, there is the individual susceptibility to injury of player.

Today, efforts are made to introduce objective criteria in order to avoid injuries as much as possible. There is now deluge of tests aimed at performance diagnostics. The fitness level of player can thus be assessed much better than before. One example of this is the permanent heart rate monitoring during training using chest straps. Blood values ​​are also taken much more regularly these days. Then there are sprint tests, endurance tests, jump tests, plus various regular muscle function tests. All these tests and values ​​can be used as guide to assess how fitness is in the course of the season and to reduce the susceptibility to injury.

In my experience, however, there are always phases with more injuries and phases with fewer Injuries. If you try to look for reasons for this, it often doesn't succeed. ”

DÄ: Is it possible to prevent injuries at all? Schleicher: “The intensity of the game is different today than it was few years ago. The running distances during game have increased enormously. And the running routes with greater speed have also increased, keyword pressing and counter-pressing. This type of game is only possible if there is completely different level of fitness. The many tests and measurements therefore make sense in order to work preventively and to compensate for existing deficits in good time. This requires close cooperation between the entire team of trainers. ”

DÄ: How important is the regeneration time? Schleicher: "Especially when the game is very busy, you have to be very careful about the phases between games. Regeneration does not only mean that the players reduce the training load. You need to get proper care during this time. That means: you need to be massaged, there should be muscle stretching techniques, and you should go to the fatigue bath. Diet also plays major role in regeneration. However, it is big problem for footballers, because it takes away quality of life if you stick to the topic. At Hertha we have two sports therapists who take care of these questions and we have had cook for some time. We can have an influence on the training days. But of course you know: As soon as the players go home, it is difficult to check whether they are sticking to the guidelines. ”