Off season advice Footy, Netball, Soccer and AFL.

It’s off season time for footy players/netball and AFL

Preseason is just around the corner, it marks the period when you get a chance to sort out all those niggling injuries that may have plagued your season.

But, what are they and what can you do about them? Some of the more common injuries for the footy codes are overuse related. This means that the injured tissue has been placed under a load that the strength, endurance or impact capacities of the structure arent able to cope with, or arent adapted to leading to damaged muscle, ligament, tendon, joint, fascia, etc.

This may be due to your biomechanics, ill-fitting footwear, weakness, stiffness and/or poor load management. Maintaining good lower limb range of motion is one of the first steps, if there is a tightness or weakness somewhere your body needs to compensate for that and this can place higher than normal stress on tissues- leading to injury.

The off season is the perfect time to investigate and find some clarity about the cause and then planning for prevention can start.

Having your biomechanics and lower limbs assessed or a general screening can significantly reduce your chance of injury for the coming season. This includes range of motion testing, strength testing, fucntional movement testing, foot posture assessment and walking/running video gait analysis. A review of your playing and training footwear is also very important, ensuring your bodies contact with the ground is as optimal as possible.

Luke is an experienced Podiatrist working with professional and amateur athletes for over 5 years. He is a high eve Rugby Union player only recently returning from touring the United States.

Call 9521 7578 to book in for your pre season or injury assessment.