Soccer is a popular sports in many parts of the world, and it’s an excellent way to combine fun with healthy activity. Soccer is popular with both kids and adults alike and is thought to be less dangerous than other sports like American football or baseball. However, soccer is not free from sports injuries, and they occur each and every year. Some of them are easily remedied while others take weeks or months to fully heal. However, for all the well known facts about soccer injuries, there are some that are actually surprising or perhaps downright shocking, and we’ve put together a list of the top ten of them.
1. Risk of Injury Increases With Age: Most would speculate that the younger and more awkward a child is the more susceptible he or she is to soccer injuries. However, this surprisingly is not the case. In fact, with each passing year, the risk of sports related injuries actually increases. This means that adults, regardless of how active or in shape they are, are more likely to be injured on the field than even the most inexperienced little one.
2. More Injuries Happen During Games: Perhaps it’s the increased amount of mental pressure that makes athletes feel a need to perform at a higher level that makes this fact a fact, but the simple truth is that soccer injuries occur more often during games than they do at practice. Some individuals may feel more like taking risks during games in order to achieve than during practice where motivation may be lower.
3. Dentists See a Lot of Soccer Players: There is no doubt that the vast majority of soccer injuries occur in the lower twenty five percent of the body thanks to the sport’s healthy heaping of running and kicking. However, soccer is beat only by basketball in terms of facial and dental injuries, giving it a solid number two spot for sports related dental visits. Most would assume that a tendon injury would be the biggest soccer risk, but in some cases a face full of ball can be the true enemy.
4. Breaks are Uncommon: A broken leg, foot or ankle are what are commonly thought of as the most frequent types of soccer injuries, however this is actually not the case, and breaks in general account for less than ten percent of all soccer related injuries (and many of them actually occur in the upper portion of the body). However, tears, sprains and generalized leg muscle pain are incredibly common and can be related to both over exertion and minor injuries.
5. Goalies and Girls get Hurt More: The goalie has an interesting position and faces both a physically demanding position, and an often dangerous one. It’s perhaps not a huge surprise then that while there is little difference in the rate of injuries amongst different soccer positions on the field, the goalie tends to be the most frequently wounded during play. What is perhaps a bit surprising however is that females are injured more often than men, and they end up with more sprains and strains as a result. Women are also more likely to seek hip pain relief techniques as well as a result of playing soccer. This is thought to be due to a lack of warming up or conditioning before play.
6. Gear Prevents Injury: Adults tend to skip the bicycle helmet and knee pads, and unfortunately these bad practices make their way onto the soccer field as well. It’s been speculated that a vast majority of soccer injuries can be prevented by wearing proper gear including shin splints and footwear that is not only comfortable but also fits well and is appropriate to the activity. Knee injury treatment may be completely avoided if proper equipment is used and stretching takes place beforehand. While there are of course many options for therapeutic, medicinal and natural pain relief, there is no denying that the very best of all pain management techniques is simply to not get hurt in the first place.
7. Hip Injuries are Common in Soccer: Few people realize how important the hips are in the movements necessary to play soccer, and this particular fact is especially important in adults who engage in the sport. There are numerous muscle groups that should be stretched and warmed up before play, but special attention should be given to the adductor and abductor hip muscles to help prevent common soccer injuries.
8. Indoor Soccer Leads to More Injuries than Outdoor Soccer: Surely this fact is surprising to soccer players, but the simple truth is that players on indoor fields are more likely to be injured than those outdoors. This may seem odd as outdoor fields may have irregularities that make them more precarious, but perhaps the tendency for players to be more aware of these imperfections is what leads to them being more careful. Regardless, good old outdoor grass tends to be a safer avenue for play than covered, indoor turf.
9. Treatments Have Advanced: Anyone who plays soccer long enough will eventually end up being injured. Whether it’s a sprain, strain, break or worse, something will send players to either a sports clinic or a doctor’s office (and, hopefully not an emergency room). But, while treatments years ago from soccer injuries that didn’t include breaks were limited to physical therapy and massage alone, some of the best sports injury clinic Toronto based options are providing new and exciting treatment options to sufferers. This trend is becoming popular in many parts of the world, and proven treatments like cryotherapy are now available to sufferers of soccer injuries and those related to other sports and health conditions. Cryotherapy involves the external cooling of skin to prompt healthful and healing responses in the body that can help speed recovery from both injuries and over exertion.
10. Concussions are Common: A lot of our top ten list focuses on injuries that seem logical including sprains, strains and even breaks. However, nearly a tenth of all soccer injuries are actually concussions, likely a result of an aggressive ball to the head.