Injuries In Children’s Soccer: How To Act And How to prevent them?

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, to the point that it is practiced by approximately 270 million people worldwide . For this reason, the practice of the beautiful sport is undertaken from an early age. For this, training schools are created or simply soccer fields are built so that infants can start playing.

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However, injuries in children who play soccer are more common than in other disciplines, because this is a contact sport. On the other hand, these injuries occur due to a lack of physical preparation, which is essential for their practice.

Recurring injuries in children’s soccer

Boys and girls are in full growth stage and their muscle elasticity is greater than that of an adult. For this reason, boys and girls tend to be more prone to growth cartilage injuries, since there are two in each bone . As these growth plates grow, they become solid bone.

Consequently, the most common injuries are contractures, groin pain, and ankle or knee sprains. However, the medical community in Spain detected that excessive workload leads to an increase in muscle and tendon injuries in boys and girls between 10 and 12 years of age. Finally, said load and injuries produced the increase of physical problems in the anterior cruciate ligament (knee).

Fractures of small bone fragments that are connected to tendons or ligaments are also common. On the other hand, patella injuries are also frequent, which generate severe knee pain. Finally, chronic injuries develop constantly due to lack of preparation and high demand on a constant basis.

Activities to prevent injuries in children’s soccer

Physical preparation is essential to prevent injuries, because it prepares the body for highly demanding activities. For this, it is vital to stretch in different areas of the body to ensure that the muscles of the lower trunk and upper trunk are prepared in optimal conditions. Finally, warm-up exercises should be done to condition oneself, so that the body is in optimal conditions for the practice of this sport.

On the other hand, the recommended protective equipment must be used to practice soccer. That is, shin pads, and elements such as knee and ankle pads if there is a medical recommendation . Finally, it is vitally important to ensure breaks and breaks in physical activity to avoid muscle overload.

What to do if you cannot avoid injuries to boys and girls who play soccer?

In the immediate moment of an injury it is important to act quickly. There, it is essential to apply cold because it reduces inflammation and pain, thus ensuring better recovery times. However, cold should not be applied if there is an open wound.

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Likewise, if it is evident that there is great pain, the infant should be taken to the doctor, who will determine if it is necessary to immobilize the affected part with a bandage. Also, it is possible that the doctor determines to carry out medical tests such as x-rays to detect fractures or magnetic resonances to determine if there was injury to soft tissues (ligaments, menisci or muscles).

Once the type of injury has been determined, it is necessary to follow the doctor’s instructions regarding recovery exercises, rest, therapies, medications and surgical interventions if necessary. Finally, in order to avoid this negative experience, it is important to guarantee that the practice of soccer is carried out if the child wishes and guide him in the prevention of injuries, so that he can enjoy it when entering the playing field.