Soccer definitely requires a large amount of physical and
mental effort.
It is not too difficult to overuse common soccer moves and
wind up with a serious injury such as a stress fracture, ACL tear, torn meniscus, or ligament strain.
Not surprisingly, the most common soccer injuries are made up of knee and ankle injuries.
Research shows that every elite male soccer player incurs approximately one injury per year that limits game performance.
While female football players have only a few incidences of injury.
Also, soccer players aged 17 to 18 year old appears to have a similar or even higher rate of injuries compared to adults.
During the competition season, the most frequent injuries affecting
professional soccer players include:
- Trauma – affecting the thigh and calf muscles, knee joint, and ankle and foot region.
- Overuse and non-contact injuries such as running and turning.
The most common types of injuries include:
Strains – occur when there is overuse, overexertion and overstretching of soft tissue.
It is usually less severe than a sprain and commonly results in the deformation of tissues when stress is applied.
In soccer players, muscle strains in the thigh and calf muscles are usually common.
Sprains – refers to the injury resulting in severe stretch, stress or tear in soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons or joint capsules.
It usually affects the dominant side of the soccer player.
Mechanism of injury usually involves forced inversion of the ankle during jumping and kicking.
Other injuries results from running, cutting and tackling activities during the game.
Contusions – an injury that occurs when there is bruising from a direct blow that leads to capillary rupture.
Fractures – a form of injury wherein a bone is impacted by a force or pressure that leads to partial or complete breakage.
It usually happens in soccer players when there is a direct force or pressure in an area that is not stabilized and can be easily fractured.