Beaver Valley Foot Clinic

Soccer injuries

Known as football in most countries, soccer is the most popular sport in the world. In 1994 the World Cup Football Tournament came to America for the first time. In 1999 the women’s team won this prestigious event for the first time, greatly increasing America’s interest in the sport. This trend shows no sign of stopping and is expected to continue, especially among young people.

While still considered a contact sport, it’s certainly less so than others such as basketball and (American) football. By some estimates soccer players are injured 80% less than American football players. It does, however, require lots of running, much of which is full-on sprinting. Soccer also involves plenty of abrupt direction changes and a fair amount of jumping. Kicking, even using correct form, also puts unique stresses on the ankle. In short, soccer unfortunately has a fairly high incidence of lower leg, ankle, and foot injuries.

Ankle Sprain Soccer injuries

Symptoms

Pain during activities that put strain on the injured ankle bone
Swelling
Bruising
Tenderness

How Can I Be Sure?

You may notice that your mobility is becoming restricted because of pain when you put strain on the ankle injury, and have some bruising and swelling, but a podiatrist will need to properly diagnose you.

Black Toenail Soccer injuries

Foot Fracture and Stress Fractures

Stress fractures: causes, symptoms, and prevention.

Stress fractures were first identified as a distinct injury type by American military doctors in the 1940s. By their estimates, between 5% and 30% of new recruits were developing “hairline” fractures in the feet, ankles, and lower legs. Marching and running long distances almost daily was the obvious cause, which was further complicated by poorly designed footwear. Today, this type of overuse injury occurs much more frequently among professional and amateur athletes who train more than 5 hours a day. They’re particularly common among sprinters, distance runners, gymnasts, and those who play tennis, soccer, volleyball, and basketball. Among these different groups, distance runners and gymnasts are perhaps the most vulnerable.

As noted by these early military doctors, these “hairline” fractures were both very common and often quite painful. The also tended to get progressively worse without prompt treatment. Today, modern doctors have classified stress fractures into two distinct types: insufficiency fractures and fatigue fractures.

Risk Factors

Factors that could increase your risk of a fracture include:
Participation in sports that are considered high-risk, such as basketball, gymnastics, tennis, track, and dance
Increase in intense activity
Foot problems, such as flat feet or high rigid arches
Weakened bone conditions, such as osteoporosis

Fractures in the foot or lower leg can be caused by many factors, a few of which are listed below:

Sports and other athletic injuries
Overuse
Tripping and/or falling
Kicking a hard object
Accidents
Repeated stress on the bones
Stress Fractures

Learn More

The following is arch supports to treat and prevent injury

Preventing Soccer Injuries

Training tips and techniques

As with any sport, a good warm up is important to an injury-free soccer experience. Sports medicine experts recommend the following routine:

To ensure you remain safe during your matches, it is important (as coaches should tell you) that you warm-up before each and every game. In case your coach or team does not have a warm-up routine, or you are looking to add to an existing routine, here are some suggestions:

Cardio: Start things of by running a few laps to get your blood pumping, and your brain prepared for the idea of physical exercise
Stretching: The idea is to remain limber, and stretching your hips and lower body can help make sure you are performing at your optimal level. This not only means you are more likely to win, but also your muscles and ligaments will be more prepared for the strains and pains you’ll likely experience.
Passing: Next, work on your technique. Start with short passes then move onto longer drives.
Shooting: Once you are comfortable making precision passes, aim for goal shots. You want to prepare your body and your mind for the moment when you may be able to score for your team.
Sprinting: Finally, end your warm-up with some more cardio, but this time you’ll want to do some sprints.

Everyone has their bad days, and it is important for you to know when you are having a bad day. Make sure that if you are not feeling up to the task at hand you sit out and keep healthy. An unhealthy athlete on the field is a liability to not only to your team but also to yourself. Finally, stay hydrated, and make sure that you have a balanced meal hours before so that you can fight off early fatigue.

If you are starting out a new sport or training regimine, we highly suggest you consult with your physician before beginning.