Football - The health benefits and how to get involved
We’re launching an exciting new mini-series of blogs to help you stay active this summer! ‘Summer of Sport’ will focus on the many health benefits of sport, how to get involved in your favourite activities as well as advice on how to avoid common injuries. Kicking off the series is football, with the Euro’s just about to start this will be across all TV and social media channels, and we wish all the Home Nations that are involved the best for the tournament.
What are the health benefits of playing football?
No matter what your age or ability, football is a great activity to get involved in for your cardiovascular health, as well as being a team sport which can help with mental health. With all different forms of football available there will be an element of higher intensity periods such as sprinting and lower intensity periods such as jogging. This mixture of intensities can help to improve your blood pressure while also building strength and speed in your muscles.
As you move between intensities you will be burning a lot of calories, so this is a great activity for helping you to lose weight, especially if you don’t particularly enjoy running as shorter sprints and slower jogs soon add up over the course of a match.
The team aspect of football is great for your mental health. Working together towards a common goal and looking out for your teammates encourages you to communicate with others more which makes it more likely for you to socialise outside of football as well – who knew football was such an all-rounder?
How do I get involved in football?
There are many grass-root local clubs you could join, or if you just want to kick a ball around all you need is a group of friends and a football. However, if you are looking to play more competitively then going on your countries football association website will bring up local clubs for you with the FA site also allowing you to choose between men’s, women’s and disability teams.
The rise of walking football…
There’s a new buzz around ‘walking football’ which is gaining momentum and proving very popular amongst older and younger people alike. Walking football offers a range of health benefits, including reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, improving blood pressure and slashing the risk of odds of suffering from type 2 diabetes, so a sport worth looking into if you’re a football lover, but happy to go at a slow pace. Find out more about this up and coming sport here.
Common injuries in football and how to prevent them
As football is a contact sport there are some injuries that no matter how much you reduce the risks they can still occur. A bad challenge from an opposition player or an accidental collision can cause more serious injurie, but thankfully these types of injury are less frequent than other injuries.
As Football involves lots of speed and direction changes then by far the most common type of injuries are muscles strains and tears, followed by various joint sprains to both the ankle and knee, which is where a support or brace can help in terms of prevention and recovery.
How can I limit the risk of injuries?
As with all exercise warming up correctly is extremely important to prime the body for the activity you are about to undertake to limit the risk of muscle strains and tears. Dynamic stretching of the most common muscles that you will use such as the hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles is important as these will be under the most strain.
If you have any minor niggles then using a support or kinesiology tape could be beneficial for you to keep active, these could also help limit risks of reinjury, especially kinesiology tape.
Football supports to keep you on the pitch
If you struggle with football-related injuries and need some extra support, here are some of our best-sellers:
New from our Active range, this helps sprains, strains, injured or weak ankles during rehabilitation to reduce the risk of re-injury. The product is slimline and lightweight and features specialist breathable fabric to control moisture during intense activities.
Provides flexible and controlled support in the knee area when strains, sprains and injury make movement more difficult.
Our Neo G Kinesiology Tape is constructed from medical grade, soft breathable, lightweight and hypoallergenic material for everyday support and comfort. NeoTape comes with a handy visual tension guide to ensure the correct tension is applied for the best results.
We hope you enjoyed reading this blog – stay tuned for the next Summer of Sport blog coming soon!
As with all information please check that it is relevant to your individual circumstances and if you are ever unsure check with a medical professional in charge of your care.
Our Active range of knitted supports provide a snug, yet flexible fit during sporting and occupational activities. Multi Zone Compression surrounds muscles and joints for targeted support and the multi-way stretch allows flexible and safe movement, providing comfortable support and reducing the likelihood of injury. The specialist breathable fabric helps control moisture during intense activities, whilst the slimline, lightweight design means it can easily be worn under clothes for everyday wear.
Our VCS range offers varying levels of support from mild to moderate to firm to provide optimum protection and stability. As a one size solution, these supports are fully adjustable to allow for a custom fit. In addition to this, the heat therapeutic neoprene helps to warm muscles and joints during exercise and rehabilitation, making the VCS range perfect for supporting instability during weights and gym training, as well as helping strains, sprains and weak, arthritic joints.
If its rest and recovery you need, our hot and cold therapy range offers just that. While heat therapy helps to target muscle and joint pain by relaxing muscles and improving blood flow, cold therapy works to tackle muscle swelling, soothing aches and pains.
Read more in our full Hot & Cold Therapy post.
