Outline of appropriate injury prevention program for Soccer.

Sports might be the one recreational aspect of physical toil which is so largely practiced and enjoyed by the youth and old alike worldwide. And sports injury is one of the obvious byproducts of this euphoria, affecting millions of people annually. Soccer is one of the most popular and most widely played games in the world. The game itself needs no more instrument than a ball and 22 energetic players. Perhaps that is the reason behind its worldwide popularity among the young generation. As it is almost played in every corner of the world and requires somewhat more stamina, agility and flexibility than other games, it is not surprising that it is one of the leading causes of sports related injury. Although sports related injuries CANNOT be fully avoided even with best possible precautionary measures, some sort of easy and viable warm up exercise should be suggested to reduce the possible injuries. Sports involving kicking a ball (or something of similar shape) have been played throughout the history in many countries. In the mid 19th century public schools of England various form of soccer were played. The modern form of soccer is a result of standardization of these varied forms of soccer present in the England. (ref: "History of Football Britain, the home of Football" FIFA). The Cambridge rule was first drawn in 1848. It has played an influential role in constructing modern day rules of soccer (ref: Winner, David (28 March 2005). "The hands-off approach to a man's game". The Times, London). Present day soccer laws are made and regulated by IFAB (International Football Association Board.) As this game requires large amount of running across the field and sometimes tackling other person with great amount of strength it is particularly designed for comparatively younger sport enthusiastic and best not played by elderly people and people with heart or lung disorders. The rule of the game is simple enough. The game is played between two teams. Each team has 11 players of whom one is goal keeper. The strikers try to score the goal by putting the ball into the net, whereas the defenders fend the goalpost from attacks. The midfielders play the role of coordinator and create the appropriate opportunity for the striker. The instruments of this game are easily attainable and the game itself represents the natural youthfulness of young people. That is the primary reason behind soccers being adorned by such larger number of people across the globe. Even without the recreational value soccer can be considered a great exercise. It is an excellent form of aerobic exercise and helps developing balance, agility and coordination of the player along with sense of teamwork. It tones up the muscles of lower extremity and burns a great deal of unwanted calories. Sometimes players of other sports (e.g. cricket, basketball) and athletes are suggested to play soccer for this purpose. My love and appreciation towards soccer has driven me to write about the common injuries and prevention of these injuries related to soccer. As soccer is played worldwide and by so many people the sports injuries related to soccer can pose a serious threat to the youths. The beneficiary effects of this game are often ignored by the concerned parents of soccer player and they are often discouraged on the ground of common occurring injuries. Such a notion is totally justifiable as each year more than 477,500 soccer-related injuries are treated in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and hospital emergency rooms. (Ref: http://www.mooresportsmed.com/soccerinjuryprevention.htm) But the fact that goes unheeded is that much of these injuries could have been avoided by appropriate precautionary measures, warm up

exercises and early detection of the problem. As it is one of the contemporary sports and liked by so many people throughout the world (including me of course) I felt the necessity of stating the findings of modern research works about prevention of the commonest soccer injuries.

As soccer requires considerable amount of running and straining approximately all the muscles of the body a soccer player must be aware of the injuries it might cause, injury prevention and its early detection. Sometimes the injury remains benign for time being which has terrible after affects on the player. In this case possible injuries should be studied by the player and precautionary measures should be taken thereby. As soccer requires kicking and running with the ball throughout the field, injuries to the lower extremities are the most common occurrence. These injuries can be traumatic, such as a kick to the leg or a twist to the knee as well as resultant of overusing a muscle, tendon, or bone. Common soccer related injuries are-

Lower extremity injuries

Sprains and strains are the most common lower extremity injuries. The severity of these injuries varies. They can be due to Cartilage tears and/or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprains in the knee. Depending upon the severity of the injury one may require surgery. Other injuries such as fractures and contusions from direct blows to the body are often seen in the soccer field. Overuse of lower extremity injuries Common overuse of lower extremity injuries can be Shin splints (soreness in the calf), patellar tendinitis (pain in the knee), and Achilles tendinitis (pain in the back of the ankle). Groin pulls and thigh and calf muscle strains are also common in soccer players. When the bone becomes weak from overuse stress fractures occur. Stress fractures are often confused with soft tissue injury clinically. Upper extremity injuries Injuries to the upper extremities are also seen sometimes. They usually occur when the player falls on an outstretched arm or from player-to-player contact. Conditions including upper extremity injuries are wrist sprains, wrist fractures, and shoulder dislocations. Injuries to head, neck and face Injuries to the head, neck, and face include cuts and bruises, fractures, neck sprains, and concussions from player-to-player contact. (Ref: http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/soccer-injury-prevention.aspx) A recent study by researchers working with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine shows that a combination of 15 low-impact exercises prescribed into warm-ups can reduce soccer injuries by up to 12% in matches and 25% in

training sessions. FIFA named it 11+ program. (Ref: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/29/ussoccer-injuries-exercise-idUSTRE69S19O20101029) The 11+ exercises can be summed up into two phase of running exercises and in the middle phase there is strength plyometric and balance exercises. The total plan consists of 15 exercises. For all exercises, correct performance is of great importance. Therefore, the coach should supervise the program and correct the players if necessary. Short description of each exercise type of the program is given below. Running Exercises: These exercises consist of running at random with correct posture. It warms up the body and prepares the players mind for the game. Jogging twice the distance of the field is suggested. It can be carried out by following steps1. Running with straight leg alignment 2.Running with hip out 3.Running with hip in 4.Circling the partner 5.Jumping with shoulder contact 6.Quick forward and downward sprints. Strength, Plyometric and Balance Exercises: These exercises tone up the muscles of the lower extremities which is essential to ensure the stability of the body in all movements and to avoid the injuries that might occur due to sudden strain of the muscle. This phase mainly comprises of bench exercises and some coordinated exercises with the partner. All of the exercises suggested below should be repeated in 3 sets lasting for approximately 20 30 sec. 7.1 The bench static 2 The bench alternate legs 3 The bench one leg left and hold 8.1 Sideways bench static 2 Sideways bench raise and lower hip 3. Sideways bench with leg lift 9.Hamstrings stretching gradually rising from beginner to advanced level 10.1 Single-leg stance hold the ball 2 Single leg balance throwing ball with partner 3 Single leg balance test your partner 11.1 Squats with toe raise 2 Squats walking lunges 3 Squats one-leg squats 12.1 Jumping vertical jumps 2 Jumping lateral jumps 3 Jumping box jumps

Running Exercises: The strength, plyometric and balance exercise is again followed by another set of running exercise which further tones up the muscles. Running approx. 40 meters across the pitch at 75 80% of maximum pace and then jog the rest of the way is suggested. 13. Across the pitch 14. Bounding 15. Plant and cut exercise Elaborate description with illustrations can be found here (ref: http://www.fmarc.com/downloads/workbook/11plus_workbook_e.pdf) As it is stated above, soccer accidents cannot be totally avoided even with best precautionary measure. But it can be certainly reduced to tolerable rate. So the soccer injuries should be studied well and the players should be made aware of the preventive measures that ought to be taken against these injuries for the betterment of this marvelous game.