Soccer Anatomy by Don

Injuries are a part of all sports. The most common soccer injury is a contusion (bruise) when you get kicked, fall, or bumped. The most common location is the lower extremity, mostly between the knee and ankle. Most leg contusions do not cause a player to miss much training time or competition. The top four time-loss soccer injuries are ankle sprains, knee sprains, hamstring strains, and groin strains. In elite soccer, hamstring strains are most common. At lower levels of play, ankle sprains are number one.

There are some gender differences. Females have a higher rate of injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee. Newer data suggest that females suffer more concussions than do males. The difference in concussion rates may be real, or it could be skewed because women tend to be more forthcoming than men about head injuries.

Good prevention programs, when substituted for a traditional warm-up, have been shown to reduce common injuries by about one-third. FIFA presents an excellent graduated warm-up (The 11+). For players and teams with a special concern about hamstring strains, pay close attention to the hamstrings exercise and the balance exercises. These have been shown to reduce hamstring strains. The key to any injury prevention program is compliance. Programs such as The 11+ are not an occasional diversion. Players must complete these programs at every training session and do a shorter version before competition.