From the die-hard fans to the devoted players and little dreamers in backyards everywhere

From the die-hard fans to the devoted players and little dreamers in backyards everywhere, it’s unlikely that you’ll manage to escape the craze that comes with the start of the football season.

Even if you’re not normally a football fan, you’ll likely find yourself drawn to the excitement. After all, this is a game that has the power to bring together people from all walks of life.

Just like the Olympic Games, football transcends race, religion, culture, and nationality to unite us in a singular interest. It has become an international language with a staggering 270 million people playing in games across the globe.

Alas, the game does not come without consequence. Unfortunately, football injuries are all too common.

Muscle injuries are common among football players. This type of injury is associated with a burst of acceleration or sprinting, sudden stopping, lunging, sliding or a high kick.

Ankle and knee injuries are also very common. This injury occurs when ligaments are strained, during cutting, twisting, jumping, changing direction or contact/tackling.

Groin pain, in particular, is widespread, with 1 in 5 players experiencing an injury in a season.

Struggling with pain? Book a session here Book now

Surprisingly, nearly half of all football injuries can be avoided.

It’s true, preventing injury is possible. In most cases, injuries are caused by an underlying weakness or imbalance in the muscles of the leg, core, and pelvis.

Specialised exercises and training programmes designed to address the areas that are most vulnerable to injury during a game can dramatically reduce your risk of getting injured.

Your physical fitness is the single most important factor in preventing football injuries.

For instance, studies have found that.

• Strength training can reduce the incidence of injury by nearly half (47%) compared to players who did no specific strength training.

• 51% of hamstring injuries can be avoided with good proprioceptive programmes.

• Among players who participated in pre-season proprioceptive training 3x a week, there were 7x fewer ACL injuries and an 87% decrease in the risk of ankle sprain.

• Neuromuscular training for the knee can reduce the incidence of serious knee injury by 3.5x.

Whether you are an avid player or prefer to play part-time as a pastime, injuries can be bad news. But a little knowledge and preparation can go a long way.

If you want to understand more about any of these aspects, get in touch with us. A good preventative programme incorporating both strength and neuromuscular/proprioceptive training can help keep you in the game.

If you’ve already suffered from a football injury or your kids, family, or friends have suffered from one, the best way to get it remedied is to see a qualified professional.

Hamstring Injuries in Football

How it happens

An acute strain can occur during training or a match with sudden acceleration, sprinting, a sharp change in direction, hard braking, or sliding into a tackle (overstretching the hamstring muscle). The hamstring muscle works over the hip and knee and, as such, is a two-joint muscle. It contracts to extend the hip, straightening the leg or pulling it back behind you, and it flexes or bends the knee. The hamstring is therefore constantly working throughout all stages of walking, running, and jumping, allowing little time for rest or recovery. It is susceptible to fatigue, which makes it vulnerable to injury. A common consequence of this is straining the hamstring in the latter half of a game as it tires, especially if you are not well-conditioned!

A previous hamstring strain is the biggest risk factor for a future hamstring injury. A chronic overuse hamstring muscle strain can develop over time through training, with a feeling of muscle stiffness and a deep ache at the back of the thigh or into the buttock. This is often a hamstring tendinopathy. This will be due to a cumulative effect of training, increasing load and intensity, but also associated with several underlying factors, such as muscle imbalance, including eccentric strength, pelvic and core muscle weakness, hard or wet training surface, poor flexibility, lower back issues, poor warm-up and improper running mechanics, fitness/fatigue. In these tendinopathy cases, research has shown degenerative changes are present in the tendon rather than an inflammatory response, as previously thought. Tendons have a poor blood supply and are therefore slow and stubborn to heal.

What’s going on inside?

Four muscles make up the hamstring: semimembranosus and semitendinosus (medially – ‘inner half’ of the back of your thigh) and biceps femoris – short and long heads (laterally – ‘outer half’ of the back of your thigh). Injury could be to any or all of them, with a tear or cumulative strain of the muscle fibres. A hamstring strain can range from mild to very severe and may involve a complete tear of the hamstring muscle. See Table 1 below for details of the injuries and the symptoms.

What can I do?

As mentioned earlier, a history of previous hamstring injury is the biggest risk factor for a future hamstring injury. If you have not had a hamstring injury previously and wish to prevent one (which is the best plan yet!), being proactive and consulting a manual therapist to assess any underlying muscle weakness or biomechanical issues would be hugely beneficial in the long run. Ensuring your hamstrings work cohesively with your glutes, lower back, and buttock/pelvic muscles will help prevent them from being overloaded or taking extra strain. Improving their condition and fitness will also help ward off fatigue and injury risk. A thorough warm-up has been shown to reduce the risk of hamstring injury, so ensure you warm up, even if you arrive late or are rushing to get started. Take the time to prepare your muscles for activity adequately. If you have been sitting through periods of the match, warm up on the sideline again before running onto the field. Otherwise, being a disciplined, compliant patient would be key to optimal recovery. It is essential to follow hands-on treatment with a full rehabilitation programme. It may be hard to stay motivated once the pain disappears, but to prevent a recurrence and return to full function, you must follow a progressive exercise routine.