Cicadas are chirping and days are getting longer, that can only mean one thing – footy preseason is dawning upon us! After a short break between seasons, it’s time to grab those shoes and get to it again.

Avoiding injury during preseason

One of the most common injuries we see during the preseason is a hamstring strain, or a ‘pulled hammy.’  This generally occurs through muscle overload or stretching beyond capacity, for example when kicking or sudden sprints.  Risk factors may involve poor flexibility, strength imbalances, inadequate warm up & previous injury.

So basically, don’t roll into training and instantly punt the footy as hard as possible – what a shock to your body! Instead, ensure you begin with a dynamic (movement based) warm up and gradually ease into training, particularly in that first session.

As the weather gets warmer our ovals dry out and become very firm, adding extra impact through our ankles, knees and beyond. Be sure to ask Santa for some new sneakers this Christmas – supportive shoe ware with plenty of cushioning will be ideal to take away some of the impact of that dry oval.  And, of course finishing up with your warm down and static/stationary stretching to avoid falling victim of the dreaded “DOMS“ (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

An Osteopath can help you identify and manage strength imbalances, poor flexibility and other contributing factors through a thorough case history and physical examination. See your Osteopath at Blackburn Osteopathy for more information, strengthening programs and injury prevention advice!