The Argentinian star is sidelined right now with an injury, but will he make on time to face Houston Dynamo next week?

“Is Messi injured or is it just fatigue?” Tata Martino: “It’s a scar from an old injury that has been bothering him… I don’t believe it’s a muscle injury; we’ll have to wait and see…”

Inter Miami’s very own super star Lionel Messi had to be subbed out before the first half ended in their game against Toronto FC in MLS action on Wednesday night. Messi who was making his return to the pitch following a two-week rest period sounded the alarms when before the game reached halftime, he called for a substitution.

Now the larger issue at hand here is whether or not ‘La Pulga‘ will be able to help his team on their quest for silverware next Wednesday as they face the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup Final?

How fast can Lionel Messi recover from injury?

The player is the one who usually knows whether he is fit to play, even though his coach may prefer not to push in cases of doubt. A three-way decision will be made with the coach, player, and medical services.

Argentinian player Leo Messi will be a doubt until the last moment of the U.S. Open Cup Final match against Houston Dynamo following the muscle injury he suffered Wednesday night. Will he play? He will likely decide along with the coach and medical staff.

But should he play with such an injury? And if so how do these injuries even occur? Muscle injuries result from repeated effort, poor movements, fatigue… there are several factors that can predispose someone to a muscle injury.

Does the timing of the season matter?

Yes, for example, preseasons, where there is a high workload and intensity, are times that tend to be relatively “common” for muscle injuries. Another time is the final stretch of the season when there is an accumulation of hours of work. And other times are precisely these, when there are several U.S Open Cup or MLS or international matches, and the tension to win can lead to muscular overloads.

What is the recovery like?

Recovery depends on the type of muscle injury. The least serious can be a “simple” muscle strain. It hurts little and subsides in a couple of days. Generally, there is no major issue in returning to sports practice.

Another case is muscle tears. Here, rest time is necessary and mandatory. Muscle fibers break, and there is a risk that if the player pushes too hard, the tear will worsen, becoming a bigger problem. Another issue is that after two weeks, the player may not feel pain in certain movements. They become confident and think they are fine. However, it’s during a sprint, jump, or strong ball strike when the pain returns. They know perfectly well that it has torn again.

In In the case of a tear, you can adjust the recovery and return to physical activity timelines more. But sometimes, we players who come when exactly the second scenario has happened. They had a tear, didn’t pay attention, returned too early because it didn’t hurt, and suffered a second re-tear. In such cases, you have to work patiently and not return until the tissue is properly repaired.

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What is the most suitable treatment?

In Messi‘s case, and according to the tests performed, the medical diagnosis was a muscle strain. In two days, the pain had subsided, and he was feeling better. This is one of those cases where the problem improves “on its own” over time. Nevertheless, to speed it up, physiotherapy offers various techniques that can help and ensure playing without the risk of a relapse.

A very different case would be if there had been a significant muscle tear. In such cases, recovery times extend from 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the individual and the techniques used. However, it is true that the emergence of several regenerative medicine techniques, such as Lyposmol’s SVF, which we work with, can accelerate the return to the field significantly.

Should Messi risk it for U.S Open Cup glory?

Messi has had the exact same injury before under a similar scenario back when he was playing for PSG and still managed to play the full 90 minutes of the first leg defeat of his team against Bayern Munich in the 2022-2023 Champions League Round of 16 match. So it’s very plausible that Messi will in fact play the final next Wednesday 9/27 against Houston Dynamo. The player is the one who usually knows whether he is fit to play, even though his coach may prefer not to push in cases of doubt. A three-way decision will be made with the coach, player, and medical services.

Would a poor recovery affect the rest of the season?

Yes, indeed. This can happen to us all, especially in the case of a tear, which can be the most complicated situation. We must restore the integrity of the tissue and make it capable of bearing the load.

For a high-level athlete, it could mean stopping for more months than expected, something that neither they nor their club can afford. In the case of an amateur athlete, they may relapse into the injury and end up frustrated for not being able to perform at 100% in their favorite sport.