There’s no doubting the popularity of football around the world. It’s definitely a ‘beautiful game’ but can also be a dangerous one too! You just have to look at how many serious injuries occur, never mind the strains, sprains and other injuries.
Here, we’ve outlined the most prevalent injuries that can see you out of action for several games and detailed how you can work to reduce the risk for an all-round safer and better on-pitch performance…
ACL – also known as ruptured anterior cruciate ligament
Did you know that four ligaments keep your knee stable? One is your ACL. It’s often damaged by the twisting and turning of the leg, which means it’s a common injury for football players. If you hurt your ACL, it’ll be painful and you’ll likely see swelling around the area. But before then, you may hear and feel it pop or snap…
If you can concentrate on strengthening the muscles in your knee – and its vicinity – this will help to reduce the likelihood of an ACL injury. According to HSS, Hospital for Special Surgery, you should do plenty of legs stretches like squats and walking lunges. Having good balance — or proprioception — is vital if you want to avoid injuring your ACL too, so practice standing on one leg (30 seconds on each) regularly to boost your stability. These exercises also help prevent injuries to your menisci, which are cartilages that protect the knee joint.
Don’t get hamstrung!
Running from your hip down to your knee, the hamstring can be located at the back of your thigh. As your legs are crucial parts of a football match, sometimes your hamstring muscles can overstretch, resulting in pain at the back of the leg, as well as potentially bruising and swelling. If you tear your hamstring, you could be out of action for a while, however, if you simply pull your hamstring, you should be fine to continue.
Tearing a muscle is not a pleasant experience! Symptoms will include lots of swelling, bruising and plenty of pain. Reportedly, people with existing back issues are more susceptible to strained hamstrings, so to avoid this injury, loosen your back with exercises such as lumbar rotation stretches (lying on the floor and rolling your knees from side to side). Basic glute stretches will ease muscles around your hips, while yoga will help you stay flexible, which will lower the risk of a hamstring strain. Squats, lunges and hamstring kicks are also great preventative exercises, as they work to strengthen the hamstring muscles.
If you’re looking for an exercise to minimise hamstring issues – try the Nordic ham curl. Here’s how to do it:
- Kneel on the floor.
- Hook your feet under something sturdy and heavy that can take your weight or ask a partner to hold your feet to act as an anchor.
- Breathe deeply, engage your core and slowly lower yourself to the ground, using your hamstrings to keep your body straight.
- After reaching the ground, push yourself up and repeat.
Ankle sprains
In a nutshell – an ankle sprain is soft tissue damage. According to the CSP (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy), approximately 70-85% of these injuries are ‘inversion’ sprains, which means the ankle has been turned inwards — common when tackling and dribbling the ball.
Doing the following exercises regularly will help to reduce the risk of a sprained ankle:
- Ankle circles (both clockwise and anti-clockwise).
- Calf raises.
- Shin raises (lifting your toes, rather than your heels, off the ground).
Groin strain
Ouch! If you strain your groin, you’ve basically over-extended your abductor muscles, found in your inner thigh. A slight strain will often cause some pain, however, serious groin strain injuries can impede on your ability to walk and run, which is a serious flaw for a football player.
Like many muscle injuries – a comprehensive warm-up is a key to avoiding them. Make sure you stretch your inner and outer thigh muscles daily and see if you can also get regular sports therapy or massage treatments to keep these muscles flexible. A strong core enhances pelvic stability, which will also reduce the chance of groin strains, so do plenty of planks and crunches as part of your basic workout routine. Resistance bands are also very handy for strengthening your inner thigh muscles and preventing groin strain.
Pre-match preparation
The sudden use of the body’s muscles can increase the potential for strains and injuries. According to a scientific study, taking part in a structured warm-up is effective at stopping players from suffering common football injuries and can reportedly even lower these by approximately 33%.
Here’s a top warm-up session to help you prepare your tendons, ligaments and muscles for a good performance:
Jogging and side-stepping to boost your core temperature – 5 minutes.
Stretching, focusing on your quads, glutes, hamstrings, inner thighs, lower back, calves, Achilles tendon, and hip flexors. You should hold your stretch for ten seconds every time – 15 minutes.
Mimicking football movements without a ball including high kicks, squats, jumps, and side-foot passes – 10 minutes.
Practicing shooting, heading, passing, and dribbling as a team with a football – 10 minutes.
Diet is key for any sportsperson, including. Eat plenty of protein and carbohydrates — including eggs, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, turkey and salmon — to build muscle and deliver energy. Also, lower your alcohol intake — it dehydrates you and leaves your muscles more susceptible to cramping and injury.
Additionally, it could be worth considering adding nutritional supplements for injury prevention and rehabilitation.