FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention Program

Have you heard of the FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention Program? If you play football (or soccer as it is predominantly known in Australia) you should make yourself familiar with it! 

Some of the best sports medicine practitioners in the world have collaborated to develop a simple set of exercises, which have been shown to decrease the likelihood of injury in footballers.

The best part of these exercises is that they are based on best practise evidence; such that you can be confident that what your warm-up is first class and exactly what the professionals should be doing too!

In a country like Australia, where we have multiple football codes, these same exercises are also appropriate for use in AFL, rugby union and rugby league.

So what are they?

There are 15 exercises in total which are expected to take a total of 20 minutes. The 15 exercises consist of 9 running exercises and 6 exercises which work on strength, balance and plyometrics. Each of the 6 strength, balance and plyometric exercises have 3 levels of difficulty and it is expected that you only complete one of each during each warm-up. Check out the exercises in more detail.

When should I do them?

The exercises should be completed at the beginning of all training sessions and prior to all games.

Are the exercises appropriate for children?

Absolutely! I would suggest that for the strength, balance and plyometric exercises, that children use the basic exercises with a focus on technique rather than attempting the more challenging exercises.

Get yourself a copy of the exercises either as a poster or as a manual. For more information on the FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention Program visit the website.

Don't forget to show your coach too!

Enjoy the new exercises and let us know how you find them!

Fast Physio Facts #2

1. There are 206 bones in the adult body.
2. Children have even more bones than this. These bones fuse to become mature adult bones in time.
3. A third of those who sprain their ankle will re-sprain their ankle within 3 years.
4. Touching a painful area can reduce the amount of pain experienced. This is why you see people grab an injured area when they hurt themselves. Try it next time you hurt yourself!
5. Excessive abdominal muscle strength training can lead to sexual dysfunction in males!

Should I Ice or Should I Heat?

This is a question that is asked very frequently by people regarding their injury.

VS 

Any acute injury (new injury or flare-up of an existing injury) as a result of trauma, over exertion or overuse should have ICE applied over the first 48 hours as per the RICE guidelines. Heat should NEVER be applied to an acute injury!

Any chronic (long-term) injury or injury that flares up due to static postures would benefit most from the application of HEAT to the area. However, if you know from experience though that you gain relief from ice with your chronic injury, then this is perfectly fine to use.

Of course, things aren't always as simple as this and there are always exceptions to the rules. If you are unsure, consult your health professional.

What does RICE mean?

So you injure yourself and you're told to RICE. But what does this actually mean? Rice stands for REST, ICE, COMPRESSION & ELEVATION.

REST refers to ceasing the activity leading to injury and then limiting ANY activity involving that body part as much as possible.

ICE refers to placing an ice pack, frozen peas or any other cold item directly over the site of injury. This should be done for 20 minutes in every 2 hour period in the first 48 hours following injury.

COMPRESSION refers to placing a bandage, elastic sleeving or compressive sportswear over the injured area in an effort to limit the swelling at the site of injury which can be detrimental to heeling. This is VERY IMPORTANT and often overlooked.

ELEVATION refers to raising the injured body part again in an effort to minimise the damaging effect of excess swelling. For example, if you injure your ankle, you should ensure that your ankle is resting higher than your knee which in turn is higher than your hip. This same principle applies for all other body parts. 

The length of time that RICE should be utilised for varies depending on the nature of the injury. As a guide, this should be conducted for 48 hours following an injury. To determine the extent of injury and to receive appropriate treatment, you should consult with your health professional.