Preventing Football and Running Injuries

Always warm-up thoroughly before getting out on the field. A good warm-up is crucial to injury prevention and muscles and joints should be acclimatised to the level of exercise to come through light aerobic activity and stretching exercises.

Injuries most commonly occur when the athlete is tired and the muscles and ligaments are no longer working as hard as they should be to stabilise the joints and maintain balance. Football, along with soccer and rugby, involves frequent periods of sprinting, followed by walking and rest periods. Training should always replicate the type of activity required in the field so that participants are ‘match fit’.

The use of resistance weights is effective in building up the muscle required to support joints, in particular around the knee and ankle joints. Resistance training has been shown to be especially beneficial in the prevention of ACL injuries.

The right equipment can mean the difference between a great game and sit injured on the bench. It’s important to always wear the correct shoes for the sport and the surface you are playing on and specialist advice should be sought when purchasing football boots. Different types of boots are better suited to a dry or wet pitch, for example. Your podiatrist can evaluate a player’s boots to check that they are suitable and can offer advice on changes that may make the world of difference to any pain or discomfort a player is experiencing.

Beyond the choice of sport-appropriate footwear, orthotics can provide extra support when you need it most. Orthotics are inserts that are placed inside your football boots to adjust imbalances and the movement of your feet, which is often altered through compensating for other injuries or biomechanical problems. Customised sports orthotics help alter the ground reaction force experienced by the feet during running to improve walking and running efficiency.

Sports braces are designed to protect and stabilise the joint. Football players often wear these braces around the ankle or knee joints, and they are especially important if a player has had a prior injury to the joint. Some players wear shin pads to protect against injury to the lower legs, and compression padding in the form of specially designed shorts are becoming increasingly popular to keep muscles warm.

A proper cool down is just as important to injury prevention as a warm-up before a game. Stretching after the game lowers long-term risk of muscle tightening and also reduces muscular pain in the days after a match.

Always warm-up thoroughly before a run. A good warm-up is crucial to injury prevention and muscles and joints should be acclimatised to the level of exercise to come through light aerobic activity and stretching exercises.

Injuries most commonly occur when the runner is tired and the muscles and ligaments are no longer working as hard as they should be to stabilise the joints and maintain balance. Runners should gradually increase the distance they are running so that the body is fit enough for the duration of the course, running further than the body is able to cope with is a quick route to injury.

The uses of resistance weights is effective in building up the muscle required to support joints, in particular around the knee and ankle joints.

The right equipment can mean the difference between a great race and a humiliating fail to finish. It’s important to always wear proper running shoes that are suited to the terrain you are running on and specialist advice should be sought when purchasing running shoes. Thin-soled ‘shoes’ are also available for barefoot runners and help to protect the feet from injury. Your podiatrist can evaluate running shoes to check that they are suitable and can offer advice on changes that may make the world of difference to any pain or discomfort a runner is experiencing.

Beyond the choice of terrain-appropriate running shoes, orthotics can provide extra support when you need it most. Orthotics are inserts that are placed inside your running shoes to adjust imbalances and restore the natural movement of your feet, which is often altered through compensating for other injuries or biomechanical problems. Customised sports orthotics help to realign your posture by restoring the natural balance in your range of movement and also cushioning the impact through added silicone pads placed in the insole to absorb some of the force created during high-impact activity.

Sports braces are designed to protect and stabilise the joint. Runners often wear these braces around the ankle or knee joints, and they are especially important if a runner has had a prior injury to the joint.

A proper cool down is just as important to injury prevention as a warm-up before a run. Stretching after training lowers long-term risk of muscle tightening and also reduces muscular pain in the days following a run.