Some people may read this and think that I am some sort of hypochondriac… I swear I’m not…honest!

I’m going to be telling you just about everything I know and what I do to avoid those nasty injuries…..

Being healthy, keeping healthy and being the best of the best is what it is all about and keeps me motivated! Having fun I guess you could say is a byproduct of playing soccer for me! I dont like to brag but I am a really good soccer player, I do have plenty of skill but I gotta say it is mostly down to my dedication to be the best I can be. For starters I always make sure that I warm up fully before a soccer game making sure I am also hydrated to keep my muscles subtle. I would hate to get a injury especially when I put so much work into my soccer….So I make sure I do stretches but even on off days when I am not playing soccer I do yoga..all the pros do this to keep flexible and keep injuries away. But Injuries do affect even the best of pro’s, things like a torn acl can catch even the best off guard.. a sudden wrong movement can all it takes! Sometimes there is nothing you can do.. especially if someone is coming straight at you in a bad tackle… at least you can wear things to help protect you when this does happen to minimize damage like wearing protective shin guards so the next time some moron does come sliding in with a tackle.. studs showing going right for your shins at least it wont crunch your shin bone.. much! When running you can damage your ligaments in your feet as well.. just something as simple and something as seemingly harmless as running can cause problem, take it from me that the small shocks running can have on your feet can really take their toll and cause degeneration of the tissues in your feet.. particularly the plantar fascia! You may have already heard of Plantar fasciiits many soccer guys and gals end up with it if they dont do foot care! A tightness of the plantar fascia for what ever reason.. not stretching it before a soccer game or you have over pronation or under pronation can become inflamed through overuse when running in soccer, insoles stop this by absorbing shock also weight pressing down on the plantar fascia can inflame it so make sure your feet aren’t alone and have help through arch supports too. Remeber dont just settle for some rubbish ones, go get some good ones because it really does matter what you wear as some inserts just dont help. If your thinking about custom ones then dont as they are a waste of money and research has proved that their is no extra benefit from wearing them and in fact too much arch support they give and not giving your feet space for themselves and to support themselves can be bad for your feet as it will cause them to weaken.

I have actually lost count of the number of times I have heard soccer players fall foul of a torn ACL. Sudden movements, stress and tension can tear the anterior cruciate ligament this can be even more common as you get older making sure your muscles and ligaments are fully stretched as to not get any surprises half way through a match. An ACL injury can keep player out all season and in some cases surgery maybe needed so it is best to avoid getting it!

Runners knee is something for you and your knees to worry about as well, it may not be as serious as a torn ACL but can cause aches and pains in the knee, it is brought on as your ligaments in your knee become weakened which maybe because you are getting older or your overusing your knee or stress and tension int he knee which can be brought on by your running technique and or over pronation whilst you run. Knee supports help both those suffering torn acl’s and people with runners knee the way they work with the orthotic support and compression can ease pain and make your knee more flexible. It also works with the design and functionality of your knee only letting you move your knee correctly!
With runner knee if it was brought on by over pronation of the feet then correcting it may solve your runners knee, arch support insoles are designed to do this.

Blisters, we all get them and they are not nice. Shoes being simply to big can be the causes which makes your feet rub against your shoes this then causes your skin layers to simply separate as they do liquid will fill the gap between the layers and a blister forms.. stopping the rubbing often helps you can do this by buying some heel grips or by buy some better fitting shoes.

Well what other things do us soccer players have to put up with…? How do you end up getting shin splints? Well shocks whilst your run will travel up into the shins this can cause dull aches in your shins, combating this is quite simple wear something.. either shoes or insoles that absorb this shock will help prevent this!

Well dont let an injury get in your way on play soccer that’s what I say anyway! Good luck!