6 Most Common Injuries in Soccer Players

Soccer is a very popular sport all around the globe. It’s fun, and it keeps you physically active. However, as with lots of sports out there, it comes with a set of risks for injuries. Of course, it’s not what you’d call a violent game, so it’s not often that someone gets hurt playing it. Nonetheless, it still happens. Let’s see what the most common injuries in soccer players are and what you can do to avoid them.

Before we dive into it all, we want to put out a quick disclaimer. No matter if you’re playing soccer for fun or have dreams of winning the Champions League — don’t take injuries lightly. If you wait, it might get worse. So, seek proper medical treatment as soon as possible if you get hurt. With that said, let’s look at what risks you should be aware of.

1. Ankle Sprains

You have to run a lot and change direction quickly when playing soccer. As a result, it puts a lot of stress on your ankles, and it’s easy to twist them or roll them. In essence, there are three common types of ankle sprains soccer players sometimes have to deal with:Lateral – this happens when kicking the ball with the top of the foot. If your foot isn’t firm enough, the movement can damage the ligaments outside your ankle. Medial – if you turn your toes up and out, you’ll end up with this type of sprain. The ligaments on the inside of your ankle can get damaged. Syndesmotic – These are the rarest of the three, and they happen if you point your toes out or up too far. Ankle sprains can be more or less severe. Depending on how badly you’re hurt, you’ll need between two and ninety days to recover fully. 

It’s easy to hurt your ankle when playing soccer, and that’s why it’s one of the most common injuries.

2. Knee Injuries

Again, because of the nature of the sport (running and kicking the ball), knee injuries are quite common in soccer. If you push yourself just a bit too far, you might get away with only a sore knee. In this case, rest and put some ice on the area to cool it down.On the other hand, although less common, knee sprains still happen. These have three grades of severity, and the treatment differs for all three. It starts with the ice we mentioned and goes over pain medication and compression, all the way to the surgery in some cases. We know this sounds scary, but you have nothing to worry about if you hurt your knee playing soccer. The treatment works, and you can recover from this injury. Listen to the doctors, be careful, and you’ll feel like your old self again in no time.

3. Shin Splints

The third of the most common injuries in soccer players isn’t as severe as the first two. However, if you ever felt that pain along your shin bone, you know how uncomfortable it can be. These can happen while running or jumping, so they’re not uncommon in other sports either. If you have trouble lifting your toes, chances are that you have this problem. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do besides resting and waiting for it to disappear. You’ve hurt your muscle, and you have to give your body some time to heal itself.To prevent it from happening in the future, be sure to warm up before every training. Train your leg muscles and work on flexibility. Stretch whenever you have a chance, and eat proper nutrition to support your activity. Shin splints are common among all athletes.

4. Achilles Tendonitis

Next on the list is another injury present in all sports that involve jumping. If you don’t know what it is, the Achilles tendon is the part of your body that connects your heel and your shin muscles. It’s often overlooked in training, and that’s why it sometimes gets hurt. Luckily, Achilles tendonitis isn’t serious most of the time, and even pro players like Messi and Ronaldo have problems with it. That said, you should still pay attention to it if you have a problem. If you don’t deal with it, the tendon might weaken and eventually rupture. It’s the worst-case scenario, and only surgery can sort it out. To avoid it, get yourself some good shoes with comfortable soles. Do your warm-ups, don’t push yourself too hard during workouts, and you should be fine. 

5. Concussions

Although it might sound strange, concussions are more common among soccer players than you may have thought. Most of the time, it happens when two players are going for the ball with their heads, but instead of hitting it, they hit each other or hit the ground on the fall. It’s not a fun experience to be a part of, and it can be pretty severe since it’s the brain we’re talking about. Luckily, it’s rare that you see a severe concussion on a soccer field. Players usually feel their own after a couple of days of rest, so you shouldn’t be worried too much about it. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should work on preventing it from happening to you. If you’re going for the ball with your head, hold out your arms to create some space and protect yourself. Never hit the ball with your temple, and if it seems too dangerous, just stay away from it.

6. Groin Pulls

And the final injury on our list is the groin pull. It’s much more common among male players, so if you’re on your way to becoming the new face of women’s soccer, you have nothing to fear. But, on the other hand, you should be careful about it if you’re a man.Your groins are under stress during the whole game as you’re running, kicking, and sliding all the time. It’s all fun, but be careful not to get carried away. Push it too far, and you’ll find yourself performing an unintended rope. It inevitably would be painful.Groin pulls often aren’t severe, but they’re very unpleasant.

Conclusion Now you know about the most common injuries in soccer players, so be sure to work your way around them. Work on the strength of your muscles, always warm up before the game, and don’t overdo it, even if you feel you can. You want to have fun and stay safe, and it’s possible to do both.Meta description: Do you want to learn about the most common injuries in soccer players? If you’re kicking the ball, you should know about these six. 

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