Injury Prevention 101: Soccer/Football

Whatever sport you play, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you aren’t aware of the most likely injuries you will suffer, and how to prevent them. In the case of soccer, this means ankle sprains (Agel et. al, 2007).

Unfortunately for Harry Kane (picture above), the ankle sprain he suffered was not preventable but for other non-impact ankle sprains building ankle resilience with exercises that target stability and balance with a focus on direction changes and acceleration/deceleration could reduce your risk of injury. Specific exercises should include:

- unilateral (single leg) strength variations for functional patterns such as lunges and heel raises

- plyometric exercises such as hops and bounds

- multidirectional explosive leaps/bounds with emphasis on controlled landing

- acceleration and deceleration drills that include sharp directions changes Injuries happen to even the best of athletes, but your likelihood of getting injured can be drastically reduced with good old fashion hard work. Our caring and friendly Chatswood or North Sydney Physio team would love to help you out, so reach out to us if you have any questions.