Soccer Injuries and How to Prevent Them - Morley Physiotherapy Centre

1. Soccer Injuries and How to Prevent Them

2. It’s Not All Fun and Games From kicking a ball around in the playground at school or at the soccer club on weekends, to having a game on the beach with your mates in summer, there’s no denying that soccer is one of the most popular team-based sports in Australia and worldwide. ● Unfortunately, playing soccer isn’t always as fun as running around a pitch and having a laugh - it can also lead to some pretty serious injuries. According to the football fact sheet from Sports Medicine Australia the rate of injury of soccer players is up to 35 injuries per 1000 playing hours. The most common type of injuries are bruising, sprains, strains, fractures and dislocations. ● Interestingly, common causes of injuries are player contact, falls and tackles, with up to 35% of injuries caused by foul play. When it comes to soccer injuries, between 50-80% of damage occur in the lower body, with 40-45% of injuries related to ankle and foot injuries, and 25% of injuries related to the knee. ● With those figures in mind, we’d like to go into a bit more detail on the most common soccer injuries, and what you can do to prevent them. ●

4. For the most part, an ankle sprain tends to occur when you make a sudden stop or change of direction - something that is constantly happening in a soccer game. The sudden movement causes the ankle to twist unnaturally, and this can cause a sprain of the ligaments that support the ankle bones. Sprained Ankles Luckily, ankle sprains aren’t often serious injuries, and can be cared for easily with taping and the RICE protocol - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. More serious injuries require professional rehabilitation to ensure full recovery and to minimise future recurrences.

5. We’ve spoken before about ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injuries, and we’ll probably speak about them again in the future. That’s because they’re common in a range of sports, from soccer to footy to netball. The ACL ligament is vital to the stability of your knee joint, and when it is injured or torn, it can spell out serious trouble if not treated correctly. ACL Injuries Around 80% of ACL injuries are noncontact related, meaning they aren’t caused by a collision with another player. In most cases, they are caused when the player pivots or lands from a jump. Depending on the severity of the injury, treatment can vary. For more severe tears, the player may be forced to undergo surgery - and even then they may be unable to return to playing at full ability.

6. Meniscal tears are another injury commonly found in the sports arena - with soccer being one of the leading contributors to the injury. Often, players that are suffering from an ACL injury may find that they’re also suffering from the meniscal tear. There are several potential causes for a meniscus tear, including a forceful impact to the front or the side of the knee, which could happen while diving for a ball or being tackled by another player, an over-rotation of the knee caused by pivoting, rapid stepping on an uneven surface, or an unexpected force to the knee that causes it to flex too far backwards, tearing the meniscus in the process. Meniscus Tears Typically, meniscus tears can be treated with a combination of the RICE protocol, physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and occasional injections to relieve pain and inflammation. In the event of a more severe tear, or if the player in question has suffered previous knee-related injuries in the past, surgery may be necessary in order to remove or repair the damaged tissues.

7. It’s perhaps an unwelcome fact, that as you get older, your body takes longer to recover from the strains and pains of everyday life. This fact is demonstrated further when it comes to those who play sports - especially for those who play and train frequently or professionally. Shin Splints and Overuse Injuries For these players, overuse injuries are a common source of pain and swelling when the muscles and ligaments are not given adequate time to recover before they are put out to work on the pitch once more. Overuse injuries can occur in a variety of body areas, depending on the sport being played. For soccer, they are commonly presented as shin splints (persistent soreness in the lower leg ), patellar tendonitis (persistent pain in the knee), and Achilles tendonitis (persistent pain in the back of the ankle).

8. How to Prevent Soccer Injuries Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that you’ll never be the victim of a soccer injuries. Sometimes, accidents happen and you’ll find yourself with a sprained ankle and a recommendation to rest up for a couple of weeks. However, there are certainly some habits and practises you can put in place to reduce your risk of suffering through a more severe injury. ● Warming up and cooling down. Don’t risk skipping your warm up and cool down as it could land you in the doctor’s office. These exercises are designed to warm your body up and give your muscles more flexibility before intense exercise, and to give your body time to recover afterwards. ○ Using the proper equipment. While soccer doesn’t come with an abundance of equipment, strapping on shin pads and and ensuring that adequate ideal playing field conditions (eg. floodlights, grass/sprinkler issues) are provided to help prevent injury. ○

9. Training. Without the proper quantity and quality of training, the risk of injury is significantly higher. Always make sure you attend training sessions in order to build up your strength, flexibility, and physical conditioning. This way, you will prepared and fit enough to endure the demands of playing at intense match pace. ○ Proper recovery. If you do find yourself with an injury such as a sprained ankle, make sure you give yourself the proper time to recover - don’t try and get back out on the pitch before you have had adequate time for injury rehabilitation. ○ Good health. Being in overall good health, staying hydrated, eating well, and exercising regularly all contribute to having a healthy body that is more resilient. It also means that if you do suffer an injury, you’ll be better equipped to have a speedy recovery. ○ Musculoskeletal Screening. Having a musculoskeletal health assessment from a physiotherapist is an excellent tool to prevent future injury, as pre-existing muscle imbalances, joint problems and pre-disposing factors can be identified and corrected. ○

10. If you’ve suffered a soccer injury and you want to know more about your recovery options, get in contact with Morley Physio today and let us help you. We’re your local physiotherapy provider for Dianella, Noranda, and Bayswater - so get in touch today. Phone: 9375 3900 Email: admin@morleyphysio.com.au