The Injury Clinic
Tips for when you’ve had an injury brought to you by FourFourTwo - The Ultimate Football Magazine
INJURY PROOF YOUR ANKLE
Armour-plate your ankle against the opposition's hatchet man and that wonky park pitch with this expert six-step guide to strapping from Bolton's head physio Andy Mitchell.*
Kamikaze tackles, rock-hard surfaces and penalty area potholes are just a few of the uncontrollables plotting to ruin your ankles on a Sunday morning. But before you slip on a pair of chainmail socks try reinforcing your ankles with strapping. Taking the extra precaution is worth the effort, says Mitchell.
"Ankle injuries are very common in football. Most professional players wear strappings to give them stability and protection.It also gives players the psychological reassurance that their ankle will be strong and stable during a training session or match."
But slinging tape round your ankle randomly will not offer any further protection - there's a skill to it. Follow Mitchell's simple six step guide, and you'll be a master of the figure-eight technique in no time.
*Andy Mitchell does not endorse any specific brand of sports injury product
Frequently asked questions
A joint and muscle pain expert* answers frequently asked questions on cooling therapy and sports injuries.
The expert does not endorse any specific brand of sports injury product.
The practice of using a cooling pack or patch to reduce pain and aid recovery is also known as ‘cryotherapy’.
Physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals recommend cooling therapy as part of the PRICE protocol in the event of trauma or injury to a muscle. Cooling with ice or with a pack or patch is most effective when used soon after the onset of pain or injury.
PRICE stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation:
• Protection – to avoid further injury to the area by protecting the injured structure.
• Rest - the muscle or joint should be rested to prevent further strain or injury.
• Ice - the muscle should be cooled as quickly as possible with cold therapy applied for 15-20 minutes at a time. Some people find it difficult to tolerate 20 minutes of cooling, so work up to this if you need to.
• Compression - there are two ways to use compression after an injury. It's a good idea to use a tight towel or some cling film while you are cooling the area. This provides both cooling therapy and early compression to reduce swelling. Once you have finished your period of cooling then an elastic compression bandage should be applied over the area.
• Elevation - the affected muscle should be raised above the level of your heart to minimise swelling. In practice, this means sitting with your injured leg up on a chair or the sofa (or your arm propped up on pillows) for as much of the day as you can manage.
It's always difficult to generalise about when an injured sportsperson should seek further input. My message is always "if in doubt, then seek a professional opinion"
If you are seeing a sports’ injury specialist or a doctor, they will be able to advise you best on how long to rest for.
Really, it depends on the type of injury. A couple of days will be long enough for some minor injuries, but more serious injuries will require a longer rest period. But learn to listen to your body, and if you feel fit to train, then give it a go and see how you get on.
The way to stay safe is to try some gentle exercise then review your situation. Pace it up and then review... up again and then review. Review, review, review is the key habit for all athletes to develop.
In terms of fitness, there are few things worse that having to suspend your training schedule to deal with an injury. It can be frustrating and just plain boring.
You could sit at home and sulk, or you could utilise your down time find another sport. Joint injury? Try swimming lengths of your local pool as fast as you can to work out without putting strain on your joints. Shin splints? Try cycling to keep your cardiovascular fitness up./p>
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Warm up, cool downThere's no doubt that time spent on warming up and cooling down before and after sporting activity will improve your level of performance during that activity, as well as speed up your recovery after it
Benefits of a good warm up
A good warm up might consist of the following: 5 - 10 minutes jogging 10 - 15 minutes stretching exercises 10 - 15 minutes match or game specific drills 4 - 8 easy runs Benefits of a good cool down
A good cool down might consist of the following: 5 - 10 minutes jogging/walking 5 - 10 minutes ‘static’ stretching exercises |
1. Results from objective and subjective studies (12 people) indicate that one application of Deep Freeze Cold Gel 2% w/w can produce up to 60 minutes of skin cooling, which is 3 times the duration of skin cooling compared to a 10 minute application of ice.
2. Knight K, Brucker JB, Stoneman PD, Rubley MD. Muscle injury management with cryotherapy. Athletic Therapy Today 2000; 5(4): 26-30.
3. Curl WW, Smith BP, Marr A, Rosencrance E, Holden M, Smith TL. The effect of contusion and cryotherapy on skeletal muscle microcirculation. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1997; 37(4): 279-86.
4. Bleakley C, McDonough S, MacAuley D. The use of ice on the treatment of acute soft-tissue injury: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Am J Sports Med 2004;32(1): 251-261.
5. Swenson C, Sward L, Karlsson J. Cryotherapy in sports medicine. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 1996;6: 193-200.
6. Ring EFJ. An Objective Measure of the Comparative Cooling Effect of Deep Freeze Cold Spray, PR Freeze Spray and Ralgex Freeze Spray on Metal. Report from Medical Imaging Research Unit, University of Glamorgan, 2008.
Deep Freeze Cold Gel 2% w/w is a medicine for the relief of muscular aches and pains containing racemic menthol. Always read the label.