Fall sports are a time of excitement and fun for students, but also a time for painful injuries. Three popular sports that students often play during the fall season are football, soccer, and cross country track.
Deconditioning is a huge problem, especially for inactive students who spend more time playing video games than playing outside. Athletes that are initially fit may begin to lose strength and tone in their muscles. The 10% rule is a good thing to note when increasing intensity and duration of work outs per week. Once they return to the field, runners might perform explosive movements with their ankles. This is extremely dangerous, since it may cause their Achilles tendon, the soft tissue that is connected to the calf muscle, to rupture or tear.
Soccer players should beware of the type of shoes they wear during a game, since there are four different surfaces that a soccer field can have. While on a grassy surface with a dirt base, Dr. Pearl was running after a loose ball, but his firm ground cleat got caught in the clay. This caused his femur to move over his tibia tearing his ACL and medial meniscus. On our previous blogpost, Don’t get Beat with the Wrong Cleat, it was mentioned that he should have been wearing a turf shoe to avoid this. Turf toe is another condition seen in soccer and football, which occurs with high velocity jamming of the toe. Dr. Pearl has treatments for turf toe including stiff orthotics and splints to take pressure off the toe.
Finally, the prevention of blisters can be accomplished with selecting the right socks. Cool Macks and Smart Wool are better fabrics than traditional cotton socks. In addition, Body Glide and aluminum chloride powder can also help prevent chaffing and blisters. If you find yourself wanting to have fun playing a sport in the fall, then also remember to play it safe as well.