This guide has been born out of our 10 years experience in working with and treating footballers aches, pains and injuries. From Sunday league to professional players we’ve helped hundreds of players over the years combat injury and improve their game. Here we address the most common causes of injury and problems that affect your performance on the pitch. They are based on our experience helping footballers with their injuries and come from our extensive biomechanical knowledge. If you’d like to discuss any aspect of them, or you have an injury or niggle you are concerned about then please give us a call now for a FREE consultation on 01793 613352.
Disclaimer: The exercises below are meant for general education and demonstration purposes and may not be specific for your condition. If you feel any pain or discomfort then stop immediately and ensure you get proper medical advice. We cannot accept any liability for injury that may occur from your use of these exercises.
1. Lumbar Extension
This will help with making your quads feel less heavy when you’re running around the pitch. Ideally this should be performed over the back of a Swiss Ball but if you don’t have one you can use the back of the sofa or edge of a bed. Simply arch backwards over the Swiss ball (or whatever you are using) and let the arms and legs hang in a relaxed fashion. You should feel a stretch through your stomach. You may get a sensation in your back also. So long as this is not painful carry on. Hold for a minimum of one minute. Longer if you can cope with all the blood rushing to your head! This is great for improving performance and also for anyone who has any kind of injury, particularly knee and quad issues.
2. Half Moon
Another great one for those who struggle with tight quads or knee pain. When the quads are doing too much work your obliques on the same side will tighten. To avoid this stand upright with your hands above your head. From this position bend over to the side as shown – making a half moon shape. You may feel the stretch anywhere along the outside of your body. If you feel a compressive sensation on the side to which you are bending then try the other way first and see if that eases the compression. Hold each stretch for a minute on each side.
3. Single Leg Squat
Can be done without weight, with a kettlebell or with dumbells. Start by standing on 1 leg with the other knee bent 90 degrees. Slowly push your hips backwards as you bend at your knee lowering into a squat position. Take care to maintain alignment through your hip, knee and ankle. Also avoid shifting your knee too far forwards, as a rough guide your knee shouldn’t move forward of your toes. Push back up to the starting position, to ensure all the muscles in your leg are working optimally think about squashing the floor under your mid foot. This exercise will encourage correct functional movement for your lower limb.
4. Quad Stretch with Pelvic Tilt
Just a little tweak on an old favourite to make it more effective. Pull the foot up behind the back side as shown in the picture to get to the point where you start to feel a stretch in the quads. From there push the pelvis up and out, like a pelvic thrust, and this should increase the stretch through the quadriceps and in the hip region. Great for tight quads and knee pain.
5. Quad Extension
A progression on from the last exercise. Some people are more flexible than others so the previous stretch may not have quite hit the spot. This not only stretches the quads but also the muscles which work with the quads to affect their efficiency. Start by sitting on your heels on the floor. Reach your hands out behind you to open up your pelvis and place your hands flat on the floor behind you. This will increase the stretch. If you need to increase the stretch further push the pelvis upwards until the stomach is flat as shown.
6. Hamstring Stretch
A standard stretch with a twist to make it more effective. Start by placing the foot on something about table height – flexible people will need something higher, the inflexible will need something lower. When the foot is up on the table in front of you lean forwards with your upper body to bring the stretch on. Come back up to upright. This time rotate the foot outwards and then lean in again. You will feel the stretch in a slightly different place – it may tighter, it may be looser. Come back to upright. Then rotate the foot inwards and repeat. Find out which stretch is ‘hitting the spot’ best for you and focus on that one.
7. Neck Stretch
Some footballers are a little bit too tense which can result in getting a tight neck and shoulders. Biomechanically this can have a knock on affect on the muscles lower down in your legs. To stretch put the same side hand that you are trying to stretch behind your back at belt level (in the picture shown the right hand). With your free hand (left in the picture) pull your head gently to the opposite side (left) you should feel the stretch along the top of your shoulder (right). You can also pull the head slightly forward at the same time. This will stretch a slightly different muscle. Experiment with the direction of the pull and see what works best for you. Hold for between 30-60 seconds.
8. Calf Stretches
Many footballers suffer from tight calves. The standard stretch is to lean against a wall, take your leg out behind. Whilst keeping the heel down, lock your knee straight and this will stretch your calf. From this position bring the foot slightly forward – turn the toes inwards slightly and bend at the knee – you should feel this stretch a bit lower and deeper into your calf muscles.
9. Adductor Stretch
The kicking muscle stretch. To start lift one leg on a table as in the hamstring stretch above and as shown in the picture. This time rotate the foot inwards completely so your inside ankle bone is on the couch. Now drop down by bending the leg you are standing on to increase the stretch. This is also great for anyone with knee pain.
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Video Testimonials
After persistent back problems caused by a rugby injury and having seen physiotherapists with varying degrees of success I contacted Swindon Sports Therapy and arranged an appointment. Their approach and explanation of what was wrong and how it would be treated inspired confidence, and after the course of treatment, my back is at its best for years.
BH
Swindon Sports Therapy have an holistic approach to solving the problem and look at the whole body, treating the cause rather than just the area of pain. As a result of the treatment I am now plantar fasciitis free, back running confidently and feeling better than I have done in a very long time. Swindon Sports Therapy are extremely professional and always provide an explanation of the treatment, why they are doing it and what that will involve. I felt completely at ease and I have absolutely no hesitation in highly recommending Swindon Sports Therapy.
SB
I went to the Swindon Sport therapy clinic with lower back pain and restricted movement. They treated much more than my back symptoms, really looking at what other parts of my body were causing the problems. Through massage and simple stretching exercises my pain has now gone and areas of my body that I now realise had been giving me restricted movement for a long time have freed up again. I also feel I have the tools to keep me this way. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.
JC
It has been amazing seeing and feeling the difference that just a few months have made and best of all, I can run again without any discomfort! I found the sessions to be very informative in helping me to understand my injury.
SH
I arrived at the door of Swindon Sports Therapy with a calf injury. They were excellent and immediately found the root of the problem. After a few sessions all these issues have been sorted and I can honestly say it has helped me achieve more in my fitness regime. Without hesitation I would recommend Swindon Sports Therapy for the professional, expert and friendly treatment I received.
NW
Excellent sports therapy. I was having ankle pains for several months. The problems with my ankle and associated area were quickly identified. The sports massages and exercises given quickly helped my injury and by the fourth session my problem was almost entirely fixed. I would highly recommended Swindon Sports Therapy.
TB
The best treatment by far! I’ve had 5 different Physiotherapists over the years and the physiotherapy techniques I’ve had from the Sports Therapists here have been the best yet. Easy to work with, give great ‘at-home’ exercise to do and has sorted all my sports injuries.
NP
From the very first session I noticed massive improvements and a reduction in the pain and discomfort I lived with daily. Having spent nearly 8 years trying different health professionals in and out of the country, this has by far been the best. I can’t thank Swindon Sports Therapy enough and would highly recommend them.
TP
Simply put this was an amazing experience. I would go as far as describing my recovery as miraculous. After 6 years of crippling shoulder pain, 4 therapists and over a thousand pounds wasted I had pretty much given up on the thought of a healthy shoulder. I took a punt on Swindon Sports Therapy and boy did it pay off. In just a couple of sessions they were able to identify the root cause and remedy my pain. I still can’t believe I am pain free! Highly recommend they certainly know what they are doing.
CU
Disclaimer: The testimonials on this page are the opinion of a few of our clients. Results to treatment cannot be guaranteed. We can guarantee we’ll be doing everything we can get you back to your best ASAP.
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We hope you find these exercises useful. We have many high quality footballers across the country following this regime with excellent results – so don’t miss out on the benefits to your game.
If you have any kind of injury you’d like us to look at then please give us a call on 01793 613352. You can sure we’ll be doing everything we can to help you getting back to playing your best as soon as we can.
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