Risk of Injury in Football

An occurrence that is often witnessed during football matches is a player that suddenly pulls a muscle mid-match and falls onto the field. There are many factors that can lead up to that outcome. The first of those factors is that the injured player has a lower capacity to the effort that the entire team exerts. So, they cannot endure the same exertion without a negative result.

The second factor is carrying a greater load in comparison to other players. They may be taking private training sessions, spending additional time at the gym, or generally are exerting greater effort. Third is insufficient pre-season preparation. They did not undergo enough training or preparation to withstand the physical and mental pressure that a football player has to endure during the season and on the field. That may occur due to lack of motivation, injury, or they are simply new to the team.

Other than having an insufficient preparatory period, the injured player may have had insufficient pre-match preparation either by not warming up or conducting an improper warm up. The warm up is considered the first step of your workout or training. By skipping to the second step immediately you are inducing a sudden load onto your body instead of gradually easing yourself into it. Some players constantly skip warm ups underestimating its importance to their performance.

Paired with a proper warm up is a proper recovery session. If the player doesn’t rest and recover their muscles, the accumulation of stress and exertion is going to weaken their body, decrease their capacity to withstand load, and increase their risk of pulling a muscle and injury.

The next factor that needs to be considered is nutrition. If your nutrition is missing or lacking one of the important components, the player’s performance will be affected negatively. If your water consumption decreases, that will cause a problem. If sodium, potassium, or calcium content decreases the player’s performance will be affected. Calcium is a very essential mineral that is often overlooked. Its deficiency plays a huge role in muscle strain; especially the sudden pulled muscle. Your nutrition has to include all the necessary components to ensure that all the needed minerals, vitamins, and nutrients your body requires to maximize its performance are provided.

The last but certainly not the least factor is stress. When you’re under mental stress your body’s entire state changes and becomes unbalanced. You may be fulfilling each factor but your stress can overshadow all of that and still induce a pulled muscle. The tension and pressure that you feel on the field can undermine any preparation done.

All these factors individually and together play a role in inducing muscle strain or injury. Figure out which aspect you are lacking in and focus on working on it. Don’t allow yourself to have a weakness. A pulled muscle is one of many possible negative outcomes and if you don’t take the right precautions a worse result such as a torn muscle may occur.

Take care of yourself. With every training session or match there is always a risk of a pulled muscle, so it is necessary to also meet that risk with the proper preparation and precautions. It is easy to play football but it is difficult to prevent strain or injury.