Preventing Soccer Injuries in Young Players

As an OrthoCarolina Physical Therapist, Ken Breath treats a variety of soccer injuries at the Concord office. He’s also on the sidelines for games, cheering on his two daughters who play soccer locally.

From both perspectives, injury prevention in young players is an important topic for Ken who spoke to FOX46 Charlotte about common soccer injuries. Here are a few tips from Ken:

DIVERSIFY ACTIVITIES

Ken encourages parents to have their children play other sports. Focusing entirely on one activity can cause overuse injuries while a diversity of movement changes the stresses on the body.

Balance work and body control activities can also help prevent injuries.

IMPROVE GENERAL FITNESS

When our bodies are fatigued we are most likely to sustain injuries. Improving overall fitness helps not only sports performance but prevents injury.

Have a child who is playing soccer for the first time? Heading from the couch to the field is hard on the body so some early exercise and sport-specific skills like ball work will help.

WORK WITH AN ORTHOPEDIST DURING RECOVERY

When injuries do happen it’s important to have them evaluated by an orthopedist and work together on a plan to get back on the field.

We often think that injuries require shutting down activity and resting to recover. Ken says newer research shows early motion stimulates muscles and fibers, encouraging faster healing and a quicker return to play.

WHAT’S NEXT:

- Learn more about soccer injuries straight from expert orthopedists in our soccer hub.

- Have an injury that needs to be evaluated? Find an OrthoCarolina location near you. You can also find care after hours and on the weekends at one of our convenient urgent care locations.