Improve Soccer Performance with Chiropractic
What you need to know
Common Movements
How to body Moves in Soccer
Soccer has been reported to have a greater frequency of high and very high intensity decelerations compared to accelerations Damaging consequences of frequent and intense decelerations imply that specific loading strategies, to protect players from negative deceleration outcomes, may be advisable The total distance covered during a game is indicative of the volume of activity completed by players and despite some variation, elite players generally cover ~ 10 km during a match When looking at the stature of players, the ~ 4–5 cm mean difference in stature between goalkeepers (tallest) and forwards (shortest) and the ~ 4–6 kg mean difference in body mass between defenders (heaviest) and midfielders (lightest) is noteworthy Research into the risk of injury in professional male soccer players showed that the overall incidence of injuries was 8.1 injuries/1000 h of exposure, the incidence of match injuries was 36 injuries/1000 h of exposure and the incidence of training injuries was 3.7 injuries/1000 h of exposure The precise definition of a dense schedule is when the recovery time between at least two games is less than 96 hours, and its impact on players’ match performance and risk of injury has been widely studied Short-term match congestion causes soccer players to have an increased risk of match injuries Studies have showed that the overall injury incidence of two matches per week with a 3–4-day interval is six times that of a match per week The English Premier League players played 4 days apart from one another, and creatine kinase levels and fatigue levels before the second match were significantly higher than those found when they were playing a match per week The shortening of the winter break in professional leagues has led to an increase in the incidence of injury. After the German Bundesliga’s winter break was shortened from 6.5 weeks to 3.5 weeks, there was no significant difference in the overall incidence of injuries in the second half of the league, but the incidence of serious injuries in the game (after a 7-day absence) was higher. Muscle injuries in male football players constituted 31% of all injuries, with the hamstrings being the most affected muscles (37%), followed by the adductors (23%), quadriceps (19%), and calves (13%).
How the body adapts in a season of soccer
Greater acute load, training monotony, and training strain occurred in the pre-season and progressively decreased across the season. Moreover, external defenders and wingers were subjected to meaningfully greater acute load and training strain for heavy slow resistance and number of sprints during the season compared to the remaining positions. In the specific case of training load quantification, there are two notable dimensions to be considered : (i) internal load (psychobiological responses to a given level of external load) and (ii) external load (the physical demand imposed by the task/exercise) Soccer has also been reported to have a greater frequency of high and very high intensity decelerations compared to accelerations. Importantly, the damaging consequences of frequent and intense decelerations imply that specific loading strategies, to protect players from negative deceleration outcomes, may be advisable In the English Premier League, non-starters performed significantly less running (14.4–19.8 km/h), high speed running (19.9–25.1 km/h) and sprinting (>25.2 km/h) than starter players,
Knee Pain in Soccer
The vast majority of sports practices require jumps and explosive movements in the execution of their main sporting gestures Aside from this increased re-injury risk, 59–70% of injured soccer players appear to develop knee osteoarthritis, with total knee arthroplasty required in 15% of those cases Coming in to see our Chiropractors is going to be essential to allow proper hip and thigh muscle hygiene to improve performance and knee position. Dynamic knee valgus (DKV) is a modified pattern of movement or alteration in the alignment of the lower limb, mainly observed in the frontal plane and with knee abduction load predicting 70–80% of ACL injury risk Strengthening the hip abductor muscles has been proposed in several ACL injury prevention programs , although always in conjunction with other exercises and never in isolation
Tips for youth soccer players
Young soccer players should engage in neuromuscular training throughout the season to offset any decrements in neuromuscular control and to facilitate appropriate landing strategies Heightened incidence of injury during early season periods could be linked to environmental factors such as firm ground and climate At any given week, almost one in five male and one in four female amateur football players reported new or ongoing injuries. Making sure you see your Chiropractor to keep on top of your knee and hip alignment is essential for managing your spinal and muscle hygiene for soccer. Older players and those with an existing injury at the start of the season were more prone to new injury during the season
Hip Pain and Soccer
The Importance of the Hip and how injuries can occur: Researchers looked into the hip and the hamstring muscle throughout the season of soccer. In summary, while hamstring muscle strength increased during the first half of the football season in football players, a progressive reduction in hip extension ROM was observed throughout the season. The reduced hip extension ROM suggests a reduced mobility of the hip flexors, e.g., iliopsoas, produced by the continuous practice of football. Consequently, hip-specific stretching and conditioning exercises programs should be implemented during the football season. That’s why we are so passionate at health wise chiropractic to make sure your hip and lower back are in proper alignment
Risk factors for Soccer Players: Hip and Hamstring
Amongst the modifiable risk factors research found the following to be a problem: Hamstring muscle strength asymmetry , hamstring muscle strength deficit , and low hamstring-to-quadriceps strength ratios have been identified as factors that increase the likelihood of suffering a hamstring muscle injury in team sports High-speed running distances (>20 km/h) resulted in a higher risk of overuse injury risk . The risk of non-contact injury increased significantly when high acute (1-week) and low chronic (4-week) high-speed running (>20 km/h) distances were combined, and the risk of non-contact injury was not significantly increased when high acute and high chronic high-speed running distances were combined
Risk factors for Ankle injury in Soccer
For Ankle Injury Decreased ankle dorsiflexion increases strain on the soleus and gastrocnemius tendons. Gait analysis shows that soleus and gastrocnemius muscles absorb peak mechanical power just before toe-off in a walking and running gait cycle . When ankle dorsiflexion is limited, the force absorbed by both soleus and gastrocnemius increases Decreased plantar flexor muscle strength is also associated with a decreased ankle dorsiflexion . Consequently, eccentric calf muscle exercises can also increase ankle dorsiflexion through an increase in calf muscle strength.
How Hamstring injuries occur in Soccer and how Chiropractors can help
How Hamstring injuries occur in soccer Most common actions during injury moments were change of direction (29%), kicking (29%), and running (21%). Most injuries occurred at high or very high horizontal speed (71%) and affected isolated proximal biceps femoris (BF) (36%). Most frequent body positions at defined injury moments were neutral trunk (43%), hip flexion 45-90 degrees (57%), and knee flexion
Ankle injuries in Soccer
In a typical soccer club of around 28 players, there is an average of seven ankle injuries per season. Additionally, almost 87% of ankle injuries lead to time off due to injury and the mean time off per ankle sprain is around 15 days. Therefore, prevention of ankle injuries among soccer players has the potential to make large reductions in complications and healthcare and social costs Non-contact ankle injuries represent 33% to 64% of all ankle injuries in soccer players. Ankle balance taping that uses kinesiology tape instantly increased the walking ability of amateur soccer players with lateral ankle sprain. Therefore, ankle balance taping is a useful alternative to prevent and treat ankle sprain of soccer players Most cases of ankle sprain among soccer players are lateral ankle sprains that occurs when the foot gets over-plantar-flexed or inverted during walking, running, or landing after a jump A less common injury, medial ankle sprain, occasionally occurs during excessive sports activity When lateral ankle sprain occurs, the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL), calcaneofibular ligament (CFL), and posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL), which provide stability to the outer side of the ankle, are damaged During the first 2 weeks after an acute lateral ankle sprains, there is a rapid decrease in pain, after which it continues to improve more slowly . This obviously leads to functional disability such as balance deficits, strength deficits, decrease of ankle range of motion, and sinus tarsi syndrome . Due to ankle instability on the damaged side, weight movement becomes difficult and a change in walking pattern occurs. Ankle sprains impair ability to perform activities of daily living such as walking The ankle joint is classified as a trochlear type joint, positioned between the tibia, fibula, and talus bones. Ankle stabilisation is the ability to maintain the correct position of the joint and find the appropriate position in changing conditions. The stabilisation of ankle is provided by static and dynamic components. Functional ankle instability can be defined as involuntary joint movement that does not exceed the normal physiological limits Functional instability can be caused by tibiofibular sprains, proprioceptive deficits, decrease in muscle strength, capsule damage, and traction neuropathy of the nervus peroneus superficialis or nervus suralis. Assessment of ankle instability can be accomplished through clinical evaluation scales, radiography, measurements of joint range of motion, and muscle strength assessments
How Hamstring injuries occur in Soccer and how Chiropractors can help
How Hamstring injuries occur in soccer Most common actions during injury moments were change of direction (29%), kicking (29%), and running (21%). Most injuries occurred at high or very high horizontal speed (71%) and affected isolated proximal biceps femoris (BF) (36%). Most frequent body positions at defined injury moments were neutral trunk (43%), hip flexion 45-90 degrees (57%), and knee flexion
ACL & Soccer Injuries
ACL & Soccer Injuries In football, ACL injuries mostly occur during cutting actions with visual observational analyses confirming a mechanism of knee valgus, abducted hip, flat and externally rotated foot, and ipsilateral trunk tilt and contralateral rotation The risk of serious knee injury (such as ACL rupture) is at least double in women than in men, regardless of exposure or participation level Research shows that exercise based programs can reduce overall ACL injuries Within 7 years after an ACL injury, 65% of individuals no longer play soccer Regardless of treatment, patients also have reported moderate to severe disability with walking (31%) and activities of daily living (44%).Adolescent female soccer players appear to be at greatest risk for negative long-term consequences, with more than 22% of these athletes undergoing either surgery to the contralateral knee or revision surgery during the 5-year period after the index surgery Increased external-knee abduction (valgus) moment during a drop landing has been reported as a prospective risk factor for ACL injury Hip abductor strength and recruitment are of particular importance in reducing trunk lean in addition to dynamic valgus stress on the knee during these maneuvers The mean time to RTP return to play in elite soccer players after an ACL injury has ranged from six to 13 months Change of direction technique modifications that focus on reducing lateral trunk flexion, reducing lateral foot plant distances, increasing knee flexion, and promoting earlier braking (during the penultimate foot contact), provide an effective training modality for reducing COD knee joint loading
Injury Prevention in Soccer
Some tips from your local Chiropractor
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Return to play Suggestions
The average time to return to play depends on the kind of injury. For instance, obturator muscle injuries need around 12 days of recovery for professional football players to return to competition.
However, the time needed to return to play after hamstring injuries is more variable, ranging from around 14 days to more than 28 days for severe hamstring injuries.
Specifically, an average of 8 to 28 lost playing days were reported for professional Brazilian football players
The time needed to return to play ranged from 7 to 24 weeks, with an average of 11 weeks, among professional football players with serious shoulder injuries.
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Strength Training
Most of the studies that involved strength training for the prevention of injuries focused on eccentric exercises specifically for the hamstring muscles.
most common eccentric hamstring exercises used were the Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) and the Nordic hamstring lowers
How many exercises should you do for the nordic hamstring exercise?
Fewer sessions of NHE (25) performed over a longer period of time (13 weeks) and incorporated into regular amateur football training significantly reduced the incidence of hamstring injuries but not the severity of those injuries
Adductor Strengthening Programme (ASP).
This protocol was suggested to be completed 2–3 times per week during the preseason (6–8 weeks) and once per week during the competitive period (28 weeks) and was shown to be effective in reducing (41%) the prevalence and risk of groin problems in male football players
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Hip and Groin Injuries
At any given week, almost one in five male and one in four female amateur football players reported new or ongoing injuries.
Hip/groin injuries were more frequent in males, while female players had a higher prevalence of knee injuries. Older players and those with an existing injury at the start of the season were more prone to new injury during the season.
Rehabilitation of pre-season injury and complaints are key to reduce the injury burden in amateur football.
Research for the prevention of ankle injuries found that injury prevention programs that included balance training exercises among soccer players showed a 36% reduction in ankle injury per 1,000 hours of exposure
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Strength imbalances and prevention of hamstring injury in professional soccer players
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Injury rates in matches were higher than in training for both elite youth and professional adult soccer players.
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The incidence of training injuries was higher in elite youth than in professional adult soccer players.
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The rates of the most common injury types did not differ between groups.
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Existing studies addressing the quality and intensity of training need to be analyzed more precisely to provide reliable comparisons between these groups.
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An assessment model of training intensities might protect these players from overload and subsequent injuries.
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Hamstring strain injuries (HSI) are consistently the most prevalent time loss injury in football
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Chiropractic cam help by being part of a team that is Implementing a lumbopelvic hip stability programme
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The pelvis is responsible for load transfer between the lower limbs and the spine and having correct pelvis alignment form a chiropractor can help.
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Leg-length asymmetries are associated with innominate bone rotation and an asymmetry greater than 1.8 cm is linked with a fourfold heightened risk of hamstring injuries
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Hip flexor tightness is a prospective risk factor for hamstring injuries
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Hip extension torques can exceed double that of knee flexion torques during sprinting, and so reduced strength or activation of the gluteus maximus (both identified as prospective risk factors for hamstring injuries) would elevate the demands placed on the hamstring muscles
Injury Prevention in Soccer
Some tips from your local Chiropractor
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Injury Prevention Protocol Ideas
Knee band squat exercise
Side steps exercise
Bulgarian split squat exercise
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How Chiropractors help Soccer Injuries
Chiropractic adjustments to adjust the hip, lumbar spine and hip joints to allow better contraction and relaxation of the Quadriceps and Hamstrings
Shockwave Therapy - to promote muscle healing
Cupping - to release fascia tension
Dry Needling- To remove muscle trigger points
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Extended Knee Control Programme Idea
Extended knee control programme
Exercise
Running warm up for 5 min
Then do 6 exercises , 10 each for 10-15 minutes
One legged knee squat
Hamstring strengthening
Two legged knee squat
Core strengthening
Lunge
Jump landing technique
30-60 seconds per exercise , 2 sets
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How to Prevent ACL and Knee problems
Change of direction technique
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modifications that focus on reducing lateral trunk flexion,
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reducing lateral foot plant distances,
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increasing knee flexion,
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and promoting earlier braking (during the penultimate foot contact),
All provide an effective training modality for reducing Change of direction knee joint loading