Injury Prevention 101

This article was written by Roberto Venegas, a Rehab Specialist who formerly worked for Real Betis (Spain) and Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (Costa Rica). Roberto currently runs his own rehabilitation training center.

Read time: 2 minutes.

What is injury prevention?

In soccer, special attention is given to what we call injury prevention. It's important to note upfront that while injuries can't be prevented entirely, the goal is to reduce the risk of a second injury or relapse.

The purpose of such programs is clear: to minimize injury risks and enable players to stay in the game. FIFA emphasizes this through the FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention Program, highlighting that a well-designed injury prevention program before training and matches can cut the risk by up to 30%.

When would this type of program be applied?

As FIFA mentions, it is something that is typically implemented in the warm-up or before going out to the field for training. From a Specialist in Sports Rehabilitation perspective, I believe that the topic of injury prevention goes hand in hand with a good physical preparation program.

In my experience in soccer and injuries, I have learned that each player is different, and it is necessary to individualize programs. There will be times when the group trains under the same program, but it is essential to know what deficiencies or injury history a player has.

With this information, we can individually create programs that help players improve any physical aspect that may need work. So, I consider it goes beyond the work before stepping onto the field. If a player has any discomfort, is recovering from an injury, or we see that there is a physical difference that needs improvement, it is necessary to include it in their overall physical program.

At what age should this type of work be started?

This type of work should start from a young age, as it is a good time to establish fundamentals in terms of strength. Soccer is becoming more demanding physically; the game is played faster, and there is a high volume of matches, so it is important to educate players from a young age to give great importance to physical preparation.

What type of exercises would be done, and is a lot of teamwork needed?

The type of exercise during injury prevention is clearly strength-based, but when there are deficiencies or even pain, isometric work is a good option. Isometric work gives us the opportunity to load a zone in a static manner, allowing us to generate a stimulus to gain adaptations in terms of strength, including ranges of motion.

Now, I must emphasize that it doesn't stop there; isotonic and plyometric work can also be added. The goal of this work is to strengthen those compromised areas.

Having multiple tools and a well-equipped gym will always be better because it provides more options, making the work more effective. However, this is not an excuse to avoid prevention work. Very good results can be achieved with minimal equipment; here is where the Physical Trainer or Specialist in Sports Rehabilitation must guide the player appropriately.