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Rangers midfielder out for the season with cruciate ligament damage - 15/11/08

Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson is ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.

The 24 year old has been given an expected recovery period of eight months after suffering cruciate knee ligament damage to his left knee.

A scan confirmed the damage and Thomson visited a specialist on 11th November in London to determine the extent of the injury, suggested treatment and expected recovery timescale.

He picked up the injury in a collision with David Fernandez in Rangers’ 4-0 win against Kilmarnock on 9th November at Rugby Park and was stretchered off the pitch.

Manager Walter Smith has told of his dismay of losing Thomson, describing him as coming into his best form recently.

West Bromwich Albion will also be disappointed after they admitted Thomson would be one of their main transfer targets when the window opened.

Thomson has experienced the same injury earlier in his career in May 2004 while playing at Hibernian as a teenager and was out of action for 11 months.

Cruciate Ligament Damage

The cruciate ligament provides the knee with stability by resisting forwards movement of the shin bone (tibia) on the thigh bone (femur) and resists rotation of the femur on the tibia. The cruciate ligament also aids balance. The cruciate ligament is injured mainly due to a rotational stress like sudden change of direction or hyperextension (over-straightening of the knee).

The main symptoms of this type of knee injury are:

• Swelling: Usually the knee swells within a couple of hours of the injury

• Pain: There may be some pain at the time of the injury

• Instability: The knee will feel loose and unstable, and will give way on twisting and turning movements

With cruciate ligament injuries, you should always remember PRICE – This is Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

Cold therapy should be applied immediately to the knee to reduce swelling and relieve discomfort, such as the Vulkan Instant Ice Pack.

You should always seek medical advice from a healthcare professional. Use our Find a Practitioner feature to get in touch with a physiotherapist in your area.

During recovery, aqua therapy and deep water running may help to strengthen the knee, as well as maintain fitness levels during injury. Take a look at our aqua therapy products and aqua therapy accessories, such as Aqua Runners, Aquatic Treadmill and Classic Aquajogger.

For more information about aqua therapy, take a look at Take it to the Water and The Complete Aquajogger Workout Video.

To assist recovery and upon return to training, a knee support should be worn to provide additional compression and support. We recommend the Vulkan Knee Wrap, Vulkan AE Knee Support and Vulkan Knee Support.

For more advice about, take a look at our football section of Sports Injury Advice, for football injuries and rehabilitation, football training, and football performance.

Remember: Always consult your physiotherapist before carrying out your own rehabilitation treatment. Some exercises and treatment may cause further injury or slow down your recovery.