Football Injuries
Prevention and treatment of common aches, pains and injuries from football
Football injuries are common and range from minor annoying aches and pains to serious, traumatic injuries. It’s important to use the right pads and protective gear, but even so, the following pains and injuries are not uncommon.
Knee and Leg
Head, Neck and Shoulder
Foot and Ankle injuries
- Ankle Sprains
The most common of all ankle injuries, an ankle sprain occurs when there is a stretching and tearing of ligaments surrounding the ankle joint.
- Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis is a chronic injury that occurs primarily from overuse and it felt as pain in back of the ankle. If this is ignored it may increase your risk of Achilles Tendon Rupture.
- Blisters
Blisters are fluid-filled sacks on the surface of the skin that commonly occurs on the hands, or the feet.
- Turf Toe
Hand injuries
Back
Other Football Injuries
Sprains and Strains
Sprains and strains are the most common type of football injury. The best immediate treatment for sprains and strains is the R.I.C.E. method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).
Muscle Cramps
A cramp is a sudden, intense pain caused by a muscle involuntary and forcibly contracting muscle that does not relax. Similar to, but not the same as a Side Stitch.
Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness
This is some muscle soreness may be felt from 12-48 hours following the activity.
Overtraining Syndrome
Overtraining syndrome frequently occurs in athletes who are training for competition or a specific event and train beyond the body's ability to recover.
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Preventing Football Injuries
Sometimes preventing common sports injuries is beyond our control, but many times sports injuries are preventable. Some injuries, we bring on ourselves because we’re not conditioned for the activity. Work out daily and get double benefit — enjoy your weekend activities and garner the health benefits.
Every workout should start with a gentle warm-up to prevent common sports injuries. Getting warmed up increases blood flow to the muscles, gets you more flexible, and could decrease injuries.
Overuse injuries are common and preventable, Don’t come out and hit the ball for an hour after not playing for a while., Whether it’s hiking, running, or team sports, do some “pre-participation stretching” first by lightly working the relevant muscle groups before the activity. And learn to recognize when you’ve already left it all on the field. Stop when you are fatigued, Muscle fatigue takes away all your protective mechanisms and really increases your risk of all injuries.