Ankle

FIFA.com Twisted ankle more than a nuisance Ankle sprains are the most common injury in football. You might not be able to prevent your first ankle sprain, but you can do a great deal to avoid further ones. Ankle sprains usually follow a typical pattern. Most happen when the sole of your foot rolls under, damaging the ligaments on the outside of the ankle, for example when hitting a bump on the field or another players foot when running or landing. A typical mechanism in football is when your opponent slides in and hits the inside of your lower leg, forcing the foot to roll under. In addition, there are personal risk factors such as ankle strength, range of motion and how you control your movements. These risk factors can be improved with specific exercises, for example as included in the 11+. An important risk factor is when you already had an ankle injury. A semi-rigid or air-supported brace helps to prevent a further sprain and should be worn for several months. In addition, you can do additional balance training using ankle

discs or a wobble board. Most players view an ankle sprain as a nuisance, but you need to protect the ankle so that you do not injure it again. Symptoms and signs of ankle sprains:

Swelling within minutes or slowly over several hours. Pain when trying to move the ankle and when walking. Stiffness and inability to place full weight on the foot. First aid Apply PRICE to the injured ankle.

Knee

FIFA.com Protect yourself from knee injuries The most feared knee injury is an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. But any knee injury can keep you away from play or cause long-term problems.

Next to the ankle, the knee is a commonly injured joint in football players. Direct (being tackled or blow) or indirect (pivoting, twisting) impact to the knee may affect the ligaments (particularly the anterior cruciate ligament), tendons or cartilage. The ACL is one of the major stabilising ligaments in the knee joint that prevents excessive movements of the lower leg against the thigh. Seventy per cent of all ACL injuries happen without contact with another player. Mechanisms in football involve a one-step stop deceleration, a sudden change of direction, landing from a jump with the knee and hip at extension or a lapse of concentration. If you tear your ACL, you may miss six to nine months of play as a result of the injury. In about two-thirds of all complete ACL tears, there is also damage to other structures of the knee. Complete ACL tears frequently lead to long-term problems, including instability and an early onset of arthrosis of the knee normally found in elderly people as a consequence of ageing. The 11+ teach you how to perform the above described moves in a way that decreases your risk of an ACL and any other knee injury. Symptoms and signs

Popping or snapping sound in the knee at time of injury Pain, swelling, inability to completely straighten knee Inability to place weight on the knee, feeling loose or unstable First aid Apply PRICE to the injured knee.

Hamstring

 FIFA.com Hamstring strains (thigh muscles) Hamstring injuries (muscle group at the back of your thigh) occur rather often in football. Most hamstring strains occur without impact or contact with another player during sprinting or acceleration. Symptoms vary according to the severity as you can tear or rupture the whole muscle or only parts of it. Hamstring injuries occur more often with a previous hamstring injury and weak thigh muscles. Symptoms and signs: Popping or cracking at the time of injury, sudden pain down the back of the leg. Pain, swelling and bruising of the posterior thigh Walking is affected, and flexing (bending) the knee causes pain First aid Apply PRICE to the injured thigh (knee in maximal flexion).

Head

 FIFA.com Never underestimate a head injury Two points are important in head injuries: firstly, you may have suffered a concussion. Secondly, if you have, the crucial question is when you can safely return to play. A concussion is a brain injury that is feared because it may affect your memory, concentration problem-solving and more. In real life, it is not at all easy to recognise that you have suffered a concussion. Contrary to common belief, you do not need to have lost consciousness to suffer concussion. You may be confused or unaware of the time, date or place for a while after the injury, or you may have headache, dizziness, nausea and unsteadiness/loss of balance. When in doubt, keep out With every impact to the head, it is important that you always think of concussion and watch out for it. If you feel a little out of sorts, but think you can still play, that may not be a good idea. The safest is: when in doubt, keep out. Do not take a head injury lightly. No match is that important. In important matches or with minor incidents, you might be very reluctant to do so. A short touchline assessment helps in the decision. The Pocket SCAT entails symptoms, questions and a balance test. If any of the described signs or symptoms

is present, you might have a concussion and need to be removed from play. As a general rule, use this test for all head injuries. When to return to play In general, most concussions will heal on their own over several days. During this time, absolute rest is required including activities in which you need to concentrate, such as text messaging, video games or learning. When you are free of symptoms, a step-by-step guide will take you gradually back to play. If you do not experience any symptoms, this will take about a week.

Never return to play if you still have any symptoms! Step-by-step guide for return to play following a concussion: 1. No activity, complete rest. Once the athlete is asymptomatic, they proceed to level two. The athlete spends, at the minimum, one day at each stage. 2. Light aerobic exercise such as walking or stationary cycling, no resistance training. Performing step two without symptoms allows the athlete to proceed to level three. If symptoms return, the athlete moves back one stage then continues. 3. Sport specific training (e.g. skating in hockey, running in football), progressive addition of resistance training at steps three or four. Performing step three without symptoms allows the athlete to proceed to level four. 4. Non-contact training drills. Performing step four without symptoms allows the athlete to proceed to level five. 5. Full contact training after medical clearance. Performing step five without symptoms allows the athlete to proceed to level six. 6. Game play.