Pain ‘normal’ after ACL injury for Arsenal forward Miedema،
Arsenal and Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema says she feels “almost” like before after recovering from a cruciate ligament injury, but admitted she is facing a “new normality” in pain management.
Miedema returned to the WSL in October, 10 months after injuring her knee against Lyon in the Champions League.
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The torn ACL ruled her out of the 2022 Women's World Cup, where the Netherlands were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Spain.
“I almost feel like I did before,” Miedema told ESPN as the Netherlands prepare to face Spain again in the Nations League semi-finals on Friday.
“Of course, I played more and more after the winter break. After a cruciate ligament injury, sometimes that involves trial and error.
“It's normal and we took that into account. So we have to see how I feel this week. I feel fit and fresh. I hope it stays that way this week.”
The 27-year-old said she doesn't play completely pain-free.
“I think the new normal is a little different from the old normal. It doesn't mean that I'm on the field with pain every day,” Miedema said.
“I think it was just really painful at first. It took a lot of getting used to it and now you've found a certain way to deal with it.”
Miedema, who has 95 goals in 117 appearances for the national team, is one of several Dutch players to have suffered cruciate ligament injuries in the recent past.
Aniek Nouwen, Kayleigh van Dooren and most recently Manchester City midfielder Jill Roord have suffered injuries which are a widespread concern in women's football. Arsenal teammates Beth Mead and Leah Williamson also missed the Women's World Cup due to injury.
“It's tough. You come back after being in the gym for so long. You go and play football again and there's a completely different tension,” Miedema said.
“A completely different tension, both physically and mentally. It involves trial and error. Sometimes it feels good and other times you wonder 'is it going to happen again', but right now I'm feeling feel free again and well on the ground.
“Then I don’t think about anything other than the play on the field.”
Miedema and the Netherlands are playing for a place at this year's Olympics via the Nations League, with the winner booking their place in Paris.
They also want revenge on the team that knocked them out of the World Cup.
“We are now six months further, or even more. We have made progress after the World Cup,” Miedema said.
“We're all six months away and of course it's a completely different competition. A World Cup or the Nations League. We just want to approach the competition like we always do.”
