Most Common Football Injuries

With a recent report by the National Safety Council showing that more than 400,000 players seek treatments every year due to football-related injuries. It’s wise for every player to learn how to prevent football injuries while taking part in the game. Whether you have sustained them before or not. You will agree with us that you’d never want to imagine a situation whereby you are out of action due to football-related injuries. Unfortunately, these injuries strike in when you least expect them, and hence there’s a need to learn some prevention tips. But before that, allow us to have a quick look at some of the most common football injuries.

Most common football injuries

Here you will know what are the most common injuries in football:

1. Football injuries ankle

One thing you should know as a footballer is that your ankles are always subjected to excessive strain throughout the game. The tight turns, sprinting, and ball manipulations that are part and parcel of the match can exert pressure on your bones, tendons, and muscles – leaving your ankles more vulnerable to injuries.

It’s estimated that 75% of football-related injuries involve sprained ankles. And the unfortunate thing is that there’s little that one can do to curb such injuries.

There are two types of ankles injuries that one can sustain while playing football. These are

• Lateral sprain – this is the most prevalent ankle injury, and it occurs when your ankle buckles outward
• Medial Sprain – Unlike the lateral sprain, the medial sprain is less prevalent and occurs when your ankle buckles inward.

2. Football injuries knee

Within your knee’s joint, there’s the ACL or in full the anterior crucial ligament whose main role is to keep the tibia in the correct position. In unfortunate cases where a footballer’s knee is subjected to excessive stress, the ACL can tear, causing you to experience sharp pain.

The tearing or rapturing of the ACL mostly occurs due to an awkward foot position. To manage it, one must undergo full anterior ligament cruciate reconstructions followed by prolonged rehabs.

3. Football injuries brain

Yet another serious football-related injury to be aware of is the brain injury. It is also referred to as CTE or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. But, again, it’s more prevalent to footballers and other people who take part in contact games such as boxing, rugby, etc.

Footballers are vulnerable to brain injuries since football is a physical game that involves a lot of collisions. It’s these collisions that cause the player’s brain to hit the skull result in CTE. The greater the collision force, the worst the brain injury. Head injuries are one of the worst football injuries.

4. Football injuries wrist

When taking part in a football match, your wrist is subjected to excessive forces. That can be as much as double your body weight. That being the case, there are higher chances of sustaining wrist injuries in unfortunate cases where you fall on outstretched hands following collisions or experience direct impacts of football against your hands and wrists.

5. Hamstring strains & tears

Hamstrings refer to tendons found at the back of your thigh. They can be easily strained when you burst in speed or when you overstretch for the ball.

Minor hamstring injuries will cause you to experience some tightness and discomforts, while a severe tear or strain will cause you to experience much pain. When this is the case, you may have to stay out of the field for a period of up to three months.

How to prevent football injuries

Now that we have looked at the most common football injuries one is likely to encounter while in action. Let’s see how to prevent it.

1. Consider pre-season physical

To help you avoid the mentioned most common football injuries, experienced physicians recommend that you consider undergoing full physical examinations before you begin the football season. Doing so is extremely important as it helps you to know whether you have any underlying conditions that can be ‘catalyze’ injuries on the pitch.

2. Warm-Up & Stretch

Before starting your football training or participating in a match, it is worthwhile to spend some time for warm-ups. Medical physicians have it that cold muscles are more susceptible to injuries than warm muscles. Consequently, spending some time to do some warm can help you greatly evade football-related injuries.

3. Hydration

One of the things that can negatively impact the health of a footballer is dehydration. As you are aware, football involves a lot of physical activities that lead to excessive sweating. It is, therefore, a good idea to drink enough water as needed to keep your body hydrated.

Note: You should not supplant water with other drinks such as sugary or highly caffeinated drinks!

4. Rest & rehab

One of the rewarding things you can do as a player is to allow yourself enough time to rest before participating in any football match. Having enough sleep the night before the game will go a long way to boosting your overall health. Also, that helps to reduce the chances of sustaining injuries.

5. Wear the right protective gear

Wearing protective gear will minimize the risks of sustaining related injuries. Some important protective gear that every player should consider investing in includes:

• The Right Boots-these will help you achieve more stability, give you more control over the ball, and help reduce the chances of injuries arising from sprinting.
• Helmet – will help to prevent brain injury caused by collision with other players in the field.
• Shin Pads – help to protect from sustaining shin injuries.

6. Allow enough recovery time

The biggest mistake that most players make is to disregard minor injuries without knowing they could be a sign of serious conditions. Instead, you are advised to speak to your physician whenever you feel unfit and avoid playing until okay. That will help prevent worsening injuries.

The bottom line

With the help of this post, we hope you now know how to prevent football injuries. Although there’s no surefire way to avoid experiencing injuries, the above tips can greatly help you stay fit. So keep them in mind and observe them every time you are on the ground.