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Barcelona player Lamine Yamal has been cut from the Spanish national team due to chronic pubic pain, a syndrome that requires constant treatment and multidisciplinary monitoring to avoid limitations and setbacks throughout his career.
Barcelona star, Lamine Yamal, was suspended today, Tuesday, 11th of this month, from the Spanish national team’s upcoming matches in the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The dismissal of Barcelona’s No. 10 player once again highlighted his clinical condition: he was diagnosed with cervical pain, which is chronic, according to the Spanish press. In other words, sponsorship must accompany the 18-year-old throughout his career.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation expressed in a statement its “surprise and alarm” after being informed that Yamal had undergone an “invasive radiofrequency procedure” to treat pain, without prior notification from Barcelona. As a result, the athlete was excluded from the matches against Georgia and Turkey on November 15 and 18.
Experts explained that pubic pain is a syndrome that can affect anyone, but it mainly affects high-performance athletes, such as football players. land. The most common symptoms are pain in the lower abdomen, pubis, or groin — as reported in the Yamal case.
The causes of pubic pain are multifactorial, and can be caused by imbalances, previous injuries or “biomechanical overload,” explains Gustavo Dutra, a Botafogo orthopedic surgeon and postgraduate in sports medicine.
“It’s more common in high-performance sports, for those who accelerate, decelerate, change direction suddenly, kick harder, with more force. These are all complex, dynamic movements that soccer athletes do all the time,” he explains.
The causes, according to the orthopedist, may be related to the mechanical functions of the muscle, such as changes in the shape of the hip, or systemic. He also cites other origins, such as severe inguinal or muscular hernias and weak constitution.
Despite the possible chronic nature, as the Spanish press speculated, in the case of Yamal, Dutra highlighted that the syndrome is not “incurable”: “Today, with regenerative medicine, we can apply regenerative materials to the pubic symphysis, tendons and even bones. Moreover, we have an arsenal to control indoor training, in the gym, with less impact.”
“With the work associated with physical therapy, this helps prevent the problem after it has been treated and maintain the health of the athlete. But it is undoubtedly an injury that becomes chronic and can ‘come back’, in general,” warns the orthopedic surgeon.
Limitations and recovery
Before the actual diagnosis of the syndrome, the patient’s complaints are usually:
- Chronic pain in the pubic area, which may be located in the adductor or rectus abdominis muscles, hips, or perineum in the testicular or anal area.
- It becomes worse when supported with only one foot on the ground;
- It gets worse when doing abdominal exercises or bending the torso.
- Pain when touched in the thighs and pubic area.
Having worked in the medical department in Bahia and in other high-performance ways, sports physiotherapist Lea Messias explains that recovery work aims to not allow the syndrome to cause limitations in the patient’s functions.
“We must not allow the athlete to reach the point of limiting himself and hindering his performance on the field. The most important point is the medical diagnosis and evaluation of the physiotherapist. In this, we understand the level of recovery, the time of exposure to the load and the biomechanical aspects, such as movement, level of strength, mobility and stability.”
In this context, treatment is conservative, with analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, in addition to physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Surgeries are indicated for cases in which the patient no longer responds to conservative treatment: “There are times that no matter how far you go, doing load control and putting the athlete under the appropriate treatment, he does not respond well, so you have to think about surgery.”
“Thinking throughout Yamal’s career, the team should really consider the possibility of surgery, but it’s still a very difficult option, because of the time I’ve been away,” he mused.
The physiotherapist highlights that if a condition such as pubic pain is present, treatment can take up to six months. However, given the high sporting demand – especially in the case of Yamal, Barcelona’s number 10 – there are difficulties in complete absence for a long period of time.
“The most important thing in these cases is multidisciplinary work, together with a doctor, physiotherapist, nutritionist and fitness trainer. After good assessment and good treatment, the chance of recurrence is much lower,” says Lea.
She stresses that in chronic cases, the athlete needs detailed monitoring for a good long-term recovery: “He will be treated forever, and will need specific exercises for the rest of his career.”
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