In this article, we’ll introduce 5 common junior soccer injuries that occur in junior soccer during the developmental period, and how to prevent them.
Soccer is popular among junior players. Playing for a long time can lead to frequent pain or discomfort. It’s a sport that involves a lot of sudden movements and physical contact, so the risk of injury is high. Junior players, whose bodies are still developing, are particularly susceptible to specific disorders due to the flexibility of their bones and muscles.
Osgood-Schlatter disease
This is pain below the kneecap, around the top of the tibia. This type of knee pain is caused by concentrated stress on the knee from repeated jumping, sprinting, kicking, etc.
It is particularly common among boys in elementary and junior high school, who are in a period of rapid growth.
Prevention methods
First of all, you need to be conscious of not putting excessive stress on your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. In particular, if the quadriceps (muscles in the front of the thigh) are overused, the patellar tendon in the kneecap will be pulled and become inflamed.
Therefore, maintaining “flexibility, muscle strength, and balance” even when under heavy stress will help prevent Osgood-Schlatter disease.
Ankle pain
This is one of the most common injuries in soccer. In the lower grades of elementary school, twisting the ankle is common when players step on the ball. In older grades, players often lose their balance during contact plays and twist their ankle. Repeated injuries can easily lead to chronic conditions.
Prevention methods
It’s especially important to strengthen and stretch the muscles that move the calf, front of the shin, and the outside and inside of the foot, and to do balance training such as standing on one leg to strengthen the muscles around the ankle.
Pulled muscle
This injury, which can range from mild to severe, occurs when a muscle is torn during a sudden sprint or stop. In addition to hamstring and calf tears, a muscle in the front of the thigh (quadriceps) can also be torn when taking a long kick or shot.
Prevation methods
Private football/soccer lessons often focus on dynamic stretching (leg swings and movements that use the range of motion of the ankles and hips) to prevent injury and practice shooting techniques.
Sever’s disease(heel pain)
This is heel pain caused by repeated stress on the heel bone (calcaneus) due to intense exercise, jumping, and repeated sprints during growth periods.
*Caution is required as the symptoms are similar to those of Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis.
For more information, please click here → Are these growing pains? Three common types of heel pain in children
Prevention methods
There are two main causes of Sever’s disease.
The first is due to muscle stiffness or inflexibility, particularly in the Achilles tendon and calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus).
The second is due to abnormal foot alignment (flat feet, overpronation, etc.) or a collapsed arch.
An easy way to prevent the first is to incorporate the above-mentioned stretches to increase flexibility in the areas before and after practice. As soccer is a sport that particularly uses the calves, care must be taken to avoid overuse (overpractice).
The second method is to first see an orthopedic surgeon or other specialist to determine whether there is insufficient arch, and then try using insoles to see how that goes.
Bruises
Soccer is a sport that involves a lot of contact play. Therefore, bruises can easily occur due to falls or contact. If the bruise is minor, there is no need to worry, but if it is moderate to severe, internal bleeding accompanied by swelling may occur.
Prevention methods
Even with prevention, it’s difficult to completely avoid bruises. Soccer is a sport that involves a lot of contact and collisions, so a certain amount of impact is unavoidable.
However, it is possible to reduce the severity of the impact by positioning yourself to protect yourself during contact, and by being aware of the position of your arms and the angle of your body.
For example, if you regularly practice maintaining body balance and firmly establishing your footing before moving when approaching an opponent or competing, you can avoid serious injury.
Summary
Injuries prevent many junior athletes from aiming for higher levels and ultimately lead to them giving up soccer.
Junior soccer injuries can be significantly reduced with the right knowledge and daily preventative habits. I believe the most important thing to do to continue playing the sport you love for a long time without injury is to “not tolerate pain” and “develop habits to protect your body.”
Private Football offers one-on-one private soccer lessons for elementary through high school students (5-18 years old). Our professional coaches provide individualized lessons in Tokyo and other parts of the Kanto area.
