4 Common Football Injuries Treated at Twin Boro

Did you know that injuries from sports and recreation exceed 8.6 million per year in the United States? Football is a physically demanding sport, and players are constantly running, jumping, and tackling each other at high speeds. As a result, football players experience numerous injuries throughout the season. In fact, many football players will experience at least one of the six most common footballing injuries listed below at some point in their careers. Fortunately, the Twin Boro Physical Therapy Center has the tools necessary to treat these common football injuries. Read on to learn more about what happens when you get injured playing football and how to prevent it from happening again.

What are Football Injuries

In the United States, up to 1.5 million young men play football. Football-related injuries are thought to cause 1.2 million injuries annually. Football injuries can happen to anyone playing the sport, including those just learning the game. Football injuries are any physical trauma sustained while playing, training, or coaching the sport. While some football injuries heal quickly, others can lead to more serious consequences, such as long-term disability or paralysis. Football-related injuries can occur while participating in any football-related activity, including playing games, practicing, lifting weights, jogging, and even wearing the wrong cleats on the field. Twin Boro physical therapies use customized treatment plans to restore activity, strength, and motion after an injury.

What are the Most Common Football Injuries?

Several football injuries occur frequently. These injuries range from mild strains to serious breaks and sprains. Here is a breakdown of the six most common football injuries:

• Knee Injuries: A player tackled on the knee or leg may sustain a meniscus tear, cartilage injury, ligament or tendon tear, or bone fracture. Up to 36% of football players get knee injuries resulting from traumatic forces that compress or contuse the joint capsule.
• Foot Injuries: A foot sprains and even fractures of the small bones in the foot may occur when the foot withstands a severe twist or is stepped on by another player.
• Shoulder Injuries: A football shoulder injury occurs when one or more of the muscles in the upper arm (biceps) and/or the rotator cuff is injured. This injury can occur during a fall on an outstretched upper extremity.
• Sprains or Strains: Did you know 40% of football injuries are sprains and strains? Sprains to ligaments and strains of muscles or tendons can range from mild to severe in limiting football related activities.
• Low Back Sprains and Strains: low back injuries could result in localized low back pain but could result in pain radiating into the lower extremities.
• Ankle Injuries: very common in sports such as football where there are quick changes in direction while running that puts excessive stress on the ligaments supporting the ankle.

How Can You Prevent a Football Injury?

The best way to avoid a football injury is to be proactive and make sure the field is free of hazards that would increase the risk of injury. While it’s impossible to account for every single situation that may cause an injury, you can still do your best to reduce the risk of getting hurt. Football is a team sport, so make sure you know your responsibilities on the field as a player, coach, referee, or spectator.

Practice helps in both sports performance and decreasing the risk of injury. For example, as a wide receiver, you should know your routes and where you should be when the ball is snapped. Defensive backs should see where the ball will likely be thrown so they can set up in the correct position. The better prepared you are to play your position, the less likely you will make uncontrolled moves increasing the risk of injury. Also, you should also make sure you train your body to increase your functional ability to meet the demands of football. Knowing your limits and pacing yourself will help reduce the risk of injury, too.

Why Should You See a Physical Therapist Before and After a Football Injury?

When you’re first injured, it’s important to visit a physical therapist as soon as possible. A physical therapist can help with everything from determining your injury’s severity to providing exercises for recovery. A physical therapist can help you recover faster and reduce the risk of re-injury by giving you the tools you need to return to the game knowing you passed sports specific testing for football.

Additionally, a physical therapist can help reduce the risk of an injury becoming more serious. Studies show that the longer someone waits to visit the doctor after sustaining an injury, the more likely they are to experience a long-term disability as a result. All in all, seeing a physical therapist as soon as you can after sustaining an injury is essential.

What Treatments Does a Football Injury Require?

There are several treatment options for football injuries, including:

• PRICE: Stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Using the PRICE Method can help minimize the impact of minor to severe injuries. Quick action to follow PRICE procedures will decrease the amount of swelling and further injury of the injured body part. In so doing the time needed for rehabilitation of the injury will be decreased.
• Immobilization: The typical treatment for musculoskeletal sports injuries is immediate immobilization, which can be carried out at once by a paramedic or athletic trainer. Immobilization prevents further movement in the area and improves blood flow to the wound.
• Taping and strapping: By adding extra support to muscles such as the hamstrings or ligaments of a joint may decrease the risk of injury or reinjury of strains and sprains.
• Surgery: Serious football injuries such as Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries to the knee, fractures, tears of the rotator cuffs injuries, and others may require surgery.
• Physical Therapy: through the application of hands-on manual therapy techniques and progressive exercise programs helps hasten the healing process of recovering from an injury.
• Injury prevention: To reduce the risk of further injury, correct training methods and warm-up routines can be developed for athletes by a physical therapist specializing in the prevention and care of athletic injuries.

Physical therapists at Twin Boro work with football players to prevent loss of function by developing fitness and wellness-oriented programs for optimal fitness on and off the field.

When Should you See a Physical Therapist for Football Injuries?

If you suffer from a football injury, you should see a physical therapist as soon as possible. The sooner you start treatment; the more likely your recovery will go smoothly.

Here’s how to know when it’s time:

• You’ve been feeling pain in your joints or muscles.
• You’ve got a persistent pain that won’t go away.
• You’re having trouble with your balance or coordination.

After a sport related injury, it is best to talk with your doctor about what treatment option would be the best for your specific injuries. However, another option is to first see a physical therapist specializing in sports physical therapy for injury evaluation and providing treatment options to begin the process of returning to football.

Why Choose Twin Boro for Physical Therapy for Football Injuries?

At Twin Boro, we prioritize our patients and improve their daily lives. We want to ensure that each patient receives the best possible care and treatment. Our staff is highly trained and experienced in treating football and other sports injuries. We will work with you to develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs. We offer various treatment options to help alleviate your symptoms and allow you to live your best life! Contact us today at 1-866-525-1117 for a free screening or consultation with one of our physical therapists.