Footballers are no strangers to injuries, as they are an inevitable part of the thrilling game of football.
Football demands speed, endurance, and tactical skills. However, the physical nature of the sport can sometimes lead players to uncomfortable injuries that require treatment.
Fortunately, effective football injury treatment can get you back in the game faster and more robust. At North West Physio Nundah, we specialise in this essential aspect of player care.
In this piece, we explore three frequently occurring football injuries and offer insights on how to treat them.
Football injuries: physio-approved exercises and rehab
Some of the most common injuries we see from football are:
Lateral ankle sprain
The contact, change of direction and jumping components of the game place a high load on the ankles and can lead to lateral ankle sprains. This injury usually involves two main ligaments – the ATFL and CFL- which sit outside the ankle and help provide stability.
Treatment – For a lateral ankle sprain, treatment will vary depending on severity but will always begin with managing pain and swelling through hands-on treatment, ice and compression.
Exercises – Proper rehab is critical in managing re-injury risk when returning to sport. Important muscle groups to strengthen include the calves and the peroneals, which provide stability in combination with the ankle’s ligaments. It is important to retrain balance, hopping and landing safely before implementing a gradual return to running and return to play plan.
Osgood Schlatter’s disease treatment
Osgood Schlatters’ disease is common in adolescents playing football due to both the high load of playing sports and their rapid growth. Kids with Osgood Schlatter’s will present with a gradually increasing pain in the front of the knee, just below the kneecap – usually, they will be sore during and after running or training for football. The pain is caused by the tendon in the front of the knee pulling on the growth plate at the top of the shin, causing inflammation.
Treatment – Strategies to manage pain and tightness around the knee and will usually involve soft tissue release of the quads and taping the knee to reduce pain. Additionally, training and game load may need to be modified to allow symptoms to settle while rehab and strengthening take place.
Exercises – Treatment will be combined with a football rehab plan to strengthen the muscles around the knee and improve the ability to tolerate the load of football. Key muscle groups to strengthen are the quads, glutes and hamstrings.
Hamstring strain
The high volume of sprinting combined with a change of direction running in football makes players particularly vulnerable to hamstring strains. Without proper rehab, hamstring strains can quickly become an ongoing issue, preventing athletes from reaching their full potential.
Treatment – For hamstring strains, treatment involves many different aspects and can vary greatly depending on the severity of the injury. Typically, treatment will begin with settling any inflammation, pain and tightness in the hamstring in the days soon after injury. This can be done by modifying the athlete’s activity level, soft tissue massage, dry needling and the RICE protocol.
Exercises – Your physio will begin guiding you through an exercise-based rehab program, focusing primarily on strengthening the hamstrings and the surrounding muscles, such as the glutes and calves. Once you are ready, your Physio will help you integrate with a running and return to sports program so you feel physically and mentally prepared when you return to the pitch.
How to bounce back from common football injuries
Football often results in common injuries like lateral ankle sprains, hamstring strains, and Osgood-Schlatter disease.
These injuries can be severe and proper treatment and exercises to aid healing and prevent further damage is imperative.
By adhering to suggestions provided by this blog and the North West Physio Nundah team, individuals dealing with these football-related injuries can strive for complete recovery and prepare themselves for a safe comeback to the sport.
It is essential for those impacted by these injuries to seek professional assistance and make use of the available resources to regain their strength and agility on the field. If you are experiencing a football injury, get in touch with North West Physio Nundah today or schedule an appointment online.
By Jacob Roberts.
