Since we have looked at some specific football injuries and how to prevent these, this article will focus on giving an overview of the most important factors for preventing injuries in general, giving insights into how Sports Therapy can help you to remain injury-free!
Although the resources at different levels of the game vary massively, the key components of this idea of injury prevention remain the same. Some of the most important factors being:
Monitoring Workload -
If you don’t have the fancy GPS units that the pro’s wear, then even wearing something like an Apple watch during training can give you some insights into how hard you’ve worked and how much time you need to allow yourself to recover. Players can usually gauge without any extra technology how hard they’ve worked in a session!
Previous Injury History -
Previous injuries can be indicative of potential injury risk, bringing about the concern of re-injury to the same area, especially. Sports Therapists can identify these risks and help you take measures to mitigate them by tailoring injury prevention programmes.
Age and Playing Position -
Certain playing positions may be more susceptible to different injuries, meaning that the way you prevent these specific injuries is going to differ. Age also has a part to play, whereby certain injuries are more common at certain ages. Sports Therapists have an awareness and knowledge of this, allowing them to, again, tailor injury prevention strategies to each player
Movement Analysis -
The way in which players move can certainly feed into injury risk. A Sports Therapist can carry out a whole body biomechanical analysis and movement screen to identify any strength imbalances or movement dysfunction that could be a contributing factor.
In addition to all of the factors above, the importance of assessing injury risk regularly throughout the football season cannot be underestimated. Regular check ins and assessments with a Sports Therapist will allow them to identify any emerging injury risks such as muscle strength imbalances or decreases and general fatigue. This, in addition to a pre-season screening, is a great idea for footballers of any age at any level!
Most importantly, a personalised injury prevention programme created by a Sports Therapist will meet the unique needs of every player and should include:
Tailored training programmes -
Taking into consideration the resources available to players, a customised plan based on individual strengths, weaknesses and injury history. Exercises and strengthening for the “high risk” areas are vital - hamstrings, quads and groins to name a few!
Recovery and rehab
Guidance on how to best recover and minimise risk of injury
Sport-specific exercises
Making sure the demands of a match are replicated in training sessions can help the body to adapt so that it is not a shock when it comes to games!
Overall, injury prevention is essential for all footballers of any age and playing level. Even the smallest of measures taken can help players to stay on the pitch without disruption throughout the season and help achieve their best performance! Sports Therapy can play a vital role in this process too and we’d love to help you if you are a keen footballer!
Give us a call to book in with Emily on 02034944343 or email reception@svsportstherapy.com or you can also book online here. We would love to serve you!