Recognizing, treating and preventing the most common soccer pain and injuries

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Tags: achilles pain, Injuries, knee, Osgood Schlatters

As with any sport, a good warm-up is important to an injury-free soccer experience. Sports medicine experts recommend the following routine:
Cardio: Start with a few laps to get your heart rate up.

• Stretching
  Focus particularly on the lower body and hips, and don’t forget to stretch your neck gently.
• Passing
  Begin with short distance passing, then move gradually into longer distance drives.
• Shooting
  Work up from lighter, shorter shots on net to harder shots.
• Sprinting
  Include a few short distance sprints.

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First the men’s soccer World Cup came to the U.S. in 1994. Then the U.S. women’s national soccer team won the World Cup in 1999. The most popular sport in the world is getting plenty of attention in the U.S. these days, and more Americans than ever are playing it.Soccer is a great way to build endurance, improve speed, and promote fitness, all while enjoying the camaraderie of a team sport. And according to experts, soccer is a relatively safe activity, with an injury rate of one-fifth to one-half of that in American football. But you can still get hurt. Soccer involves quick start-and-stop motions and physical contact, which can lead to injury.

Risk of injury is no reason not to play soccer, though. Soccer players just need to be aware of the risks and know what steps they can take to play as safely as possible.

1. Sprains

“Injuries to the ankle, lower leg, and knee (usually sprains) are the soccer injuries that occur most often,” says William O. Roberts, MD, FACSM, a member of the medical advisory board for the USA Soccer Cup. “After ankle sprains, medial collateral ligament sprains are most common,” Roberts says. The pivoting and lateral movements of soccer contribute to these injuries.

A good warm-up and careful stretching may help prevent some sprains. To avoid unnecessary risk, always check the condition of the field before you play. Don’t play on fields with holes, glass, or rocks.

2. Strains

Muscle strains can be caused by:
Pulling a muscle too far in a direction it doesn’t want to go
Contracting a muscle hard against resistance
Contracting a muscle hard when the muscle is not ready

The most common muscle strains in soccer occur with groin muscles, hamstrings, and quadriceps. A muscle strain won’t send you to the emergency room, but it can be painful and can keep you off the field for a few days or weeks. Experts say strains occur frequently in soccer due to constant stop and go movement, or taking a longer stride than muscles can handle.

Good flexibility can lower your chances of muscle strain. Always stretch well after warming up. Focus on stretching the areas most susceptible to strain, but don’t neglect other areas. The more flexible you are, the less likely you are to stretch beyond your capacity and pull or tear a muscle.

Reed says wearing well-fitted cleats with appropriate spikes (longer spikes in softer turf and shorter spikes on dry, hard turf) may also help prevent strains. On especially hard surfaces, you may want to wear a turf shoe with no spikes.

3. Fractures

The majority of soccer-related fractures are also in the lower extremities, according to orthopaedic experts. Fractures often occur as a result of contact, so wearing protective gear like shin guards is extremely important.

4. Knee injuries

Knee injuries constitute the most common type of major injury in soccer. Robert Leach, MD, editor of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, estimates that the medial collateral ligament, the meniscus, and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are the parts of the knee most often injured in soccer.

“Many knee injuries, especially ACL ruptures, occur away from contact,” says Roberts. They are often the result of putting too much of a load on the knee joint during the sudden stops and starts of soccer, he explains. Therefore, proper footwear, good field conditions, and appropriate strength training are the keys to prevention. Reed suggests working on hamstring, quadriceps, and hip flexor strength in the weight room.

5. Head injury

Head injuries, including dental, eye, and brain injuries, constitute about 5 percent of soccer trauma. Closed-head injury is most often the result of a collision between players. Concussion occurs often when players try to head the ball and miss and collide with another player or a goal post.

While there has been some concern that repeated heading of the soccer ball leads to chronic brain injury, the most comprehensive study to date does not suggest that repetitive heading alone causes long-term neurologic impairment.

A study of elite soccer players at the 1993 Olympic Festival showed that properly executed heading was not found to result in any concussive episodes. Correct heading involves use of the frontal bone to contact the ball, the neck muscles to restrict head motion, and the muscles of the lower body to position the torso in line with the head and neck.

And always make sure you hit the ball; don’t let the ball hit you, Reed says. Roberts recommends working to strengthen your neck muscles using isometric exercises. For example, use your hand to provide resistance against your head. Then use your neck muscles to turn your head right, left, forward and backward. To protect your mouth and teeth, wear a fitted mouth guard. You may also want to consider protective eyewear.

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No one wants to ruin their sports season with an injury that could have been prevented. Coaches should be educating players on the basics of preparing for practices or games in such a way that would prevent an injury, but athletes such as adult runners may not have a coach accessible. Take the time during your training to prepare your body for sport-specific competition so you don’t end up on the sidelines for the rest of the season.

Step 1:
Train your brain. Learn the proper way to stand, run, flip and stop from the very beginning and perform these moves correctly each and every time. It may be easier to run straight into the baseline wall during a basketball game, but implementing the quick-stop moves learned in practice drills will prevent you from spraining or breaking your wrist when you slam into the wall.

Step 2:
Stretch before and after every workout and competition. Contrary to popular belief, the stretch after a workout is equally or more important than the stretch before the workout.

Step 3:
Use all necessary equipment all the time. It’s definitely a lot more comfortable to play a pick-up game of soccer without shin guards, but just because it’s a friendly game doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt. Wear the cups, wear the pads, and wear the helmets. The one time you don’t could easily be the one time you wish you would have.

Step 4:
Incorporate strength training into your routine. Strengthening knees and shoulders are particularly smart for soccer, basketball and football.

Step 5:
Know when to take it easy. Participating in a sporting event when overly exhausted or in pain can be dangerous because your defenses are down, you’re not as alert as you’d normally be and your muscles may be fatigued.

Step 6:
Stay hydrated. Replenish your fluids as you go to prevent dehydration, especially during warm outdoor workouts and games.

Step 7:
Get a physical exam beforehand. Your doctor can usually detect any major warning signs or indications that suggest you may not be in proper health for participating in a sport. This includes high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and weakened vision.

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