The risk of injury is always present when you are playing contact sports such as football and rugby and putting your muscles through the stresses of training sessions and regular matches. Due to the nature of the game, throughout the course of a footballer’s career regardless of the level of play, they can expect to experience a number of injuries anywhere in the body. Some of the most common include injuries affecting the knees, ankles, shoulders, and hamstrings as these are the areas that are taking the most amount of pressure during training and matches.
Regardless of the type of injury, a top priority remains a fast recovery so players can get back on the field as soon as possible. Take a look at the list of useful treatments below.
Physiotherapy
Muscles, tendons, and ligaments can become stiff and weak following a football injury. Therefore, it is a good idea to participate in some physiotherapy sessions to stretch and strengthen the tissues affected. This will help players to quickly regain their range of movement and prevent future injury or re-injury. Carrying out proper warm-up and cool-down exercises is also important. A physiotherapist will also be able to give you more of an indication of how best to recover from the injury and how long the player may be out of action for games and whether there should be a phased return to training and playing matches.
Cold Therapy
Even once an injury has begun to heal, it can be helpful to continue to use cold therapy to relieve pain and limit inflammation. Use ice packs or a cold therapy machine for 20 minutes several times a day. Reducing the inflammation can mean that the recovery period is shortened slightly.
Compression Therapy
Swelling as a result of a build-up of excess fluid can be prevented by applying compression to an injury. A compression bandage or elastic brace can be wrapped around the area to achieve the right amount of pressure. This can be combined with cold therapy, as outlined above. Active compression can provide additional benefits, such as ensuring that excess fluid does not collect in the area, and it can maintain the flow of blood to the tissues as they go through the healing process. Splints and bandages can be worn under team wear, such as that available from www.kitking.co.uk/ a Discount Football Kits supplier. These are often recommended by sports professionals and physiotherapists for use on certain injuries.
Rest and Relaxation
It is so important to allow the body some time to recover following an injury. A few days doing nothing at all, limiting activity and keeping the affected area elevated where possible can work wonders. The body requires energy to work on the damaged tissues and cope with the inflammatory response. Take things easy in the short term, and recovery will be quicker in the long term.
