Soccer (or Football) is one of the most popular sports in the world and the best athletes are gathered at the Summer Games to play for the gold.  Dr. Scott Kelly, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at Resurgens Orthopaedics, was an All-American in soccer at Emory University.  In today’s sport tip, Dr. Kelly is discussing common soccer injuries and prevention.

Soccer is a game of speed and most injuries occur from acceleration and deceleration during a game or practice.

Common injuries include:

• Ankle Sprain – occurs when one or more of the ankle ligaments is stretched beyond the normal range of motion.  Sprains can occur as a result of sudden turning, twisting or rolling movements.
• Muscle strains – A muscle strain occurs when the muscle is overstretched or torn.  Common muscles strained in soccer include the hamstring and calf. 
• Fractures – can be a stress fracture (from repetitive stress on bones such as the foot or tibia) or a traumatic fracture (from a kick to a bone or some other injury).

Here are some tips to help you decrease your risk of injury during your soccer match, no matter what level you are playing!

• Conditioning – proper conditioning includes cardiovascular fitness, core strength, speed, agility and stamina.
• Stretching – emphasis on stretching the muscle groups that you will use during soccer – quads, hamstrings, calf, gluteals, hip flexors, back and abdominal muscles.

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