Soccer players all over Long Island are in the midst of their school seasons right now. There is no rest for the weary, as their club schedules will follow closely behind. Multiple practices and games per week, often for more than 1 team puts soccer players at a high risk for injury.
This blog is going to discuss common soccer injuries, preventative measures, and available treatments.
1. Common Soccer Injuries
It’s no secret that soccer demands exceptional physical and mental endurance. Depending on their position and level of play, soccer players can run anywhere from 1-7 MILES per game. And they do this all while:
- changing direction
- accelerating/decelerating
- Dribbling
- kicking a ball
- AND making decisions about passing and defending.
Unfortunately, the demands of the sport often leads to injuries, some of which include:
Hamstring Strain: This is when you feel a “pull” and pain in the back of your thigh muscle. Hamstring strains can occur when the muscles are too tight or too weak. They usually occur when you are sprinting at top speeds or when you swing your leg to kick a soccer ball. These injuries are very challenging to fully recover from, especially in season.
About 30% of athletes who suffer a hamstring strain will experience a re-injury within a year of returning to their sport!
1 in 3 players will have a re-injury!! Unfortunately, this is something we see a LOT here at In Motion Physical Therapy of NY. One of our favorite rehab exercises is called the Nordic Hamstring. This is even better when done BEFORE injuring your hamstring.
Groin Pull: This is when you feel a “pull” and pain in the inside of your thigh. Due to the cutting and change of direction requirements in soccer, groin strains are another common injury. Improving flexibility, and hip and core strength can help prevent this type of injury.
Here is an exercise progression to help strengthen your adductor (inner thigh muscle) and core
ACL Injury: These often happen on sudden changes of direction, landing awkwardly from a jump, and less frequently a collision with another player. The ACL is responsible for providing stability to your knee joint, and once it is torn the road to recovery is a minimum of 9 months. The good news is there are a lot of studies proving that good warm-up programs PREVENT these types of injuries from happening.
Keep reading to see if you are doing a “good” warm-up.
Ankle Sprain: When you “roll” your ankle, sometimes the ligaments that support your ankle can stretch or tear. This occurs when you step on an uneven surface (or opponent’s foot), land the wrong way, or hit into another player the wrong way while kicking the ball. This type of injury can lead to chronic instability in your ankle if not treated properly. Improving your hip strength and your balance can help prevent ankle sprains.
After an ankle sprain you can have balance deficits for up to 6 months if not treated correctly!!
We can test your balance
and tell you where you stand.
2. Injury Prevention for Common Soccer Injuries
Is it possible to prevent injuries on the field? Although it is impossible to prevent ALL soccer injuries, it is possible to decrease the risk of injury by taking some simple steps.
The 3 key factors in preventing injuries are:
A. Dynamic Warm Ups
Soccer is a demanding sport that requires players to be explosive, agile, and have good endurance.
A dynamic warm-up refers to moving through stretches and exercises in an active way. A good warm-up will help to prepare your body for the demands of the game and reduce your risk of injury by:
- Increasing Heart Rate
- Increase body Temperature (literally WARM UP your muscles)
- Bring players through full ranges of motion and engage their muscles correctly
CHECK OUT SOME LOWER BODY DYNAMIC WARM-UP STRETCHES HERE
These types of warm-ups are scientifically proven to reduce injuries in soccer players. Unfortunately, the number of athletes using them is very low.
The Fifa 11+ is a warm-up program designed by FIFA and when used correctly reduces injury risk in soccer players of all ages and skill levels. It is broken up into 2 parts:
- Running + Dynamic Stretches
- Strength, Balance, Plyometric Exercises (3 levels)
If you want the hand out, CLICK HERE to download the PDF.
Research like this, even shows that adherence to the FIFA 11+ even helps improve your team’s results on the field!
Less injuries, more winning- what could be better?!
Remember, we can help implement a personalized warm-up for your soccer player or team.
B. Strength Training
Strength training is a CRUCIAL component of injury prevention in soccer players, and unfortunately one of the most overlooked.
Strengthening your quads, hamstrings, and core will make you faster, harder to push off the ball, allow you to kick the ball further AND keep you on the field because you won’t get injured as frequently.
And YES- you should continue your strength training in season.
A few keys for IN SEASON workouts:
🔑Low Volume (2-4 sets)
🔑Low # Repetitions per Set (3-6)
🔑1-2 days/week
🔑Higher Intensity (80% 1 Rep Max)
C. Proper Rest/Recovery
Another way to prevent injuries in soccer players is to ensure the appropriate amount of volume of training. Overtraining is a leading cause of injury in youth athletes. To prevent this:
- One team at a time
- 1 practice per day
- No more than 9 months/year
Check out some other recovery techniques here
3. Treatment for common soccer injuries
What does treatment look like for a soccer player dealing with an injury? Well, it is going to depend on whether we are In-season or Off Season.
Here at In Motion Physical Therapy of NY we are going to do everything we can not to “shut you down” and will discuss a treatment plan based on your injury. The quicker we see you, the more likely it will be that we can get you back on the field this season.
In Season:
When you are participating in your sport, our goals are to get you on the field as quickly and as safely as possible. Some injuries require complete rest, but the good news is that MOST don’t. However, without complete rest, this may mean that you are not at “100%” until the season is over. During the season we will focus on:
- Improving the quality of your Soft Tissue with treatments such as massage
- Speeding up Recovery between practices and games with an active exercise plan
- Maintaining/Improving your Flexibility and Strength through exercises specific to your sport and activity level
Off Season
When we are treating an athlete’s injury in the off-season the athlete has the time and energy to truly re-build and treat the UNDERLYING CAUSE of the injury. During this time we are able to restore all mobility, get into a solid strengthening program, and prescribe an aerobic conditioning program to enhance sports performance.
Completing the course of care to the point where you are really back to 100% is a critical component to reducing your risk for future injury. (The leading risk factor for having an injury, is the history of a previous injury).
Make sure your Physical Therapist is testing your strength, balance, and ability to jump. Most importantly, you need someone to create a long-term plan for success WITH YOU.
Make sure your Physical Therapist is testing your strength, balance, and ability to jump. Most importantly, you need someone to create a long-term plan for success WITH YOU.
At In Motion Physical Therapy of NY, we are dedicated to helping soccer players in Long Island stay in motion and perform at their best. Don’t just take our word for it
For personalized injury prevention strategies or to discuss your treatment plan, contact us today. Your guided path back to the field begins here.
References:
- Van Der Horst N et al. The preventive effect of the Nordic hamstring exercise on hamstring injuries in amateur soccer players a randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2015; 43(6): 1316-1323.
- Heiderscheit BC et al. Hamstring strain injuries: recommendations for diagnosis, rehabilitation and injury prevention. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010; 40(2):67-81.
- Schuermans J, Van Tiggelen D, Danneels L, Witvrouw E. Susceptibility to hamstring injuries in soccer. Am J Sports Med. 2016; 44(5): 1276-1285.
- Al Attar WSA, Soomro N, Sinclair PJ, et al. Effect of injury prevention programs that include the nordic hamstring exercise on hamstring injury rates in soccer players: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med 2017;47:A35.2–A35.
- Kobayashi T, Tanaka M, Shida M. Intrinsic risk factors of lateral ankle sprain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Health. 2016; 8(2):190-193.
- Van Ochten JM et al. Chronic complaints after ankle sprains: a systematic review on effectiveness of treatments. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2014; 44(11):862-C23.
- Cleland JA et al. Manual therapy and exercise versus supervised home exercise in the management of patients with inversion ankle sprain: a multicenter randomized clinical trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2013;43(7):443-455.
- Doherty C et al. Dynamic balance deficits 6 months following first-time acute lateral ankle sprain: a laboratory analysis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015;43(8):626-633.