The Soccer Injuries Guide

Soccer injuries are pretty hard to avoid because soccer is a collision sport and injuries do occur sometimes. However, knowledge about common injuries in soccer will help you decrease the risk of getting them.

Heading or not?
There have been some controversial studies claiming that repeated ball heading may cause a brain injury similar to that seen in boxing. But this is yet to be proved. However, after heading a ball in 15 years my brain cell amount have increased comparing to what is claimed in these studies :-)

Related Articles

Ankle Sprain Treatment by Yourself

What is a sprain?

Ankle sprain symptoms

Common injuries in Soccer

Injuries in Soccer Should Not Stop Your From Practice

What is a high ankle sprain?

How to avoid sunburn during perfect soccer weather?

How to prevent and treat a foot sprain?

Knee Sprain Treatment With R.I.C.E Method

What is a wrist sprain and how to treat it?

Soccer injury prevention tips

Head injuries in Soccer

Head banging
This is a common head injury in soccer. It usually occurs when you and an opponent attempt to head the ball at the same moment. Collision of this type may result in a concussion, a cut or a serious neck injury. Broken noses, cheeks and jaws are also common. My experience of this injury is an three days head ache and a big black eye :-)

Goalkeeper
As a goalkeeper you are unique in many ways! The frequent diving makes you more likely to injure your shoulder and elbow. Catching and blocking balls also causes injuries to your wrist and hands. The most typical soccer injuries for a goalkeeper are the finger injuries.

Catching a soccer ball on the end of your finger may result in fractures to the distal or middle fingers or the joints of the finger. Other common soccer injuries that you may need to suffer as goalkeeper are forearm fractures, wrist fractures and sprains as you attempt to stop the oncoming shot.

Lower Back Pain
Lower-back pain may indicate on muscle strains or ligament sprains and will in most cases respond well to conservative management. But, if you have persistent or recurrent pain in your back or radicular symptoms then you should warrant a further diagnostic evaluation from a specialist.

Groin
The groin injuries are the most common injures in soccer when talking about your lower trunk, pelvis and upper leg. Chronic groin pain is something you will probably encounter during your soccer carrier. It is caused by the biomechanics of forceful kicking in which your abdominal muscles, hip flexors and adductors are repetitively stressed.

Seeing bad grammar? Click Here

Lower extremity
The lower extremity injuries account for approximately 60% or higher of all injuries among soccer players. Contusions to the lower extremities, muscle strains of the thigh and ankle sprains are the most common acute injuries.

Stress fractures and a variety of overuse injuries involving your legs, ankle, and feet’s in soccer are overuse injuries frequently encountered by soccer players.

Knee
The Knee injuries can be mild to varying degrees of severity. Someligament sprains just require rest, while others may requirereconstructive surgery. If you have a real serious knee injury youusually need approximately six months to recover from it. Dislocations of the knee-cap are a common soccer injury,especially for female soccer players.

Sometimes braces can be used after an injury to provide increased protection to your knee. You may also use it to prevent a knee injury.

Meniscus tears and ligament soccer injuries are usually a result from pivoting or sudden deceleration stresses. Stretching and a proper warm-up can help prevent you avoid them. Treatments are rest, ice, compression and elevation. Formal physical therapy for rehabilitation is also needed in most cases.

Ankle
Ankle injury is in the form of varying degrees of ligament tears. The basic treatment can be ice, elevation, compressions and a splint. Fractures are not uncommon and all ankle injuries with accompanied swelling should have an evaluation by a specialist. If you suspect a fracture be sure to consult a specialist directly.

Shoulder
The most common shoulder injury in soccer is a separation of your shoulders which is a form of ligament sprain. This injury will require you to wear protective padding measures to control the pain. But if you are really unlucky a more serious severe ligament tears may require surgery.

Shoulder dislocation is another less common injury that you need to watch out for. But if you are unlucky I can only say that it really hurts!!!. There are two type of shoulder dislocation: a partial dislocation or a complete dislocation.

A complete dislocation is something you don’t even wish your worst enemy. The pain cannot be described with words and you will need to find a doctor or specialist who will push your shoulder back into the socket!!!My dear it hurts just to write about it :-)

Fracture
One of the most serious soccer injuries that you may suffer (I hope not!) in soccer is the fracture of both bones of your lower leg. The fracture is at a level near the top of your shin guard.

In most cases it will occur when you and an opponent are going for the ball at the same time clash. One of you misses the ball and kicks the other with enough force to break both the tibia and fibula bones of the lower leg.

All right, this scenario may seem pretty unlike but you still need to be careful out there. So what to do when the accident is a fact? The leg needs directly to be splinted and you must be immediately seen by an orthopedic surgeon. A surgery will be a must for some fractures, usually those that are unstable or open fractures (one that breaks the skin).

Achilles
Achilles tendinitis which means pain in the tendon just above your heel is a pretty common injury that you may need to suffer during your soccer carrier. Using some form of arch support will help you get rid of this injury.

Preventing all soccer injuries in impossible and you need to always wear appropriate protection equipment whether it is a practice or match. Shin guards are mandatory. Goalies should wear gloves to prevent hand injuries.

Keep in mind also that you should always have your injury evaluated by a orthopedic specialist