As mentioned above, there are many ways in which a physical therapist can support a soccer player. Here are some of the services that we offer to players to support them in their careers as a player:

Injury rehabilitation

• Ligament sprains–ankles, knees, wrist, shoulder, etc.
• ACL tear
• MCL tear
• PCL tear
• LCL tear
• Muscle strains
• Muscle contusions
• Fractures
• Meniscus injuries
• Concussions

Sometimes when an injury occurs it is impossible to ignore. In this case it becomes necessary to see a medical professional and if the circumstance calls for it, a physical therapist for rehabilitation. While it may be tempting to self-treat or ignore injuries and to jump back into practices and competitive play as soon as possible, failure to fully rehabilitate an injury can predispose you to recurrent or more severe injuries. Working with a physical therapist can provide you assurance that you are fully recovered from the injury and that the injured tissues are prepared to take on the unique forces and stresses associated with soccer.

In other cases a player may be experiencing small aches and pains or annoying niggles during practice or play and be tempted to ignore those symptoms in favor of pushing through. This is not a good idea, however, as these mild symptoms may be early signs of injury. Now is the time to consult a skilled physical therapist who can assess the affected area and create a plan to stop an impending injury.

If you decide to work with a physical therapist to help correct your soccer related issues, your entire treatment plan could consist of around 8-20+ different physical therapy sessions that will each last 60-90 minutes. Once you complete your customized physical therapy treatment plan, you will be able to continue to do the prescribed stretches and exercises utilized during your soccer PT sessions yet in the comfort of your own home.

Identify and address the underlying cause of an injury

While full recovery and return to play is the ultimate goal when it comes to injury rehabilitation, a physical therapist has much more to offer. We are interested in identifying the factors that may have predisposed you to the injury in the first place so that we can make a plan to address them. This helps decrease your risk for future injury and often has the side-benefit of improving overall competitive performance. Here are some factors that we look for when assessing a player:

• Muscle strength, power and endurance
• Flexibility and mobility in muscles and joints
• Sleep, nutrition and recovery time
• Training schedule
• History of prior injury
• Cardiorespiratory fitness
• The physical demands of a player’s position on the team

Movement and Performance Analyses

While having fun should always be a priority for any athlete, let’s face it, being the best player you can be is probably high on your list as well. Being able to perform at your best requires that your body has enough strength, power, endurance, flexibility, etc. to not only perform your role on the field but also to manage the high training volumes..

As movement experts, your physical therapist can assess your form with common training exercises like deadlifts, squats, bench press, plyometrics, and upper body exercises and give you insight on how to optimize the movements to enhance effectiveness and also decrease injury risk. Similarly, they can analyze common movement patterns utilized during soccer play like cutting and quick direction changes and determine if there are areas of weakness or impairments that should be addressed through a comprehensive training program.

So, if you are a soccer player who has never had an opportunity to work with a physical therapist we hope you can now see the many benefits of doing so. We want to work alongside your coaches, athletic trainers and family members to help give you a soccer career that is long and successful whether you are playing professional soccer or youth soccer. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help you take your athletic endeavors to the next level.