Fall is one of the best times for sports, but with sports come sports injuries. Youth soccer, in particular, has its ups and downs. While many kids love playing soccer for its teamwork and exercise, accidents can happen that can leave them a little worse for wear.

The good news is that there are ways to help prevent youth soccer injuries from happening. That said, here are some of the most common youth soccer injuries, what to do when they happen, and what to do to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries are the number one most common type of soccer-related injury, especially for kids. Overuse injuries occur when players practice or play too often and they don’t receive an adequate amount of rest. Rest is important because it allows for muscles and tendons to heal. Without time to heal, muscles can end up with tiny tears that can be painful.

To prevent overuse injuries, make sure that your child is properly icing their legs after hard practices and that they’re getting the right amount of rest between practices and games. If you suspect that your child does have an overuse injury, your sports injury care provider or urgent care doctor will examine your child’s joint or muscle to determine where the pain is being felt. They may recommend the R.I.C.E. method (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) for treatment.

Elbow, Knee, and Ankle Sprains

Another common youth soccer injury is a sprain, including elbow sprains, ankle sprains, and knee sprains. Sprains occur when the joint is forced to move outside of its normal position. Ankle sprains are especially common in soccer because players use a lot of footwork to move up and down the field, navigating the ball and avoiding other players. To prevent sprains, it’s important that your child stretch regularly both before, after, and even outside of their games to help strengthen their muscles and keep the joints flexible.

At your walk-in urgent care center, your sports injury care provider may recommend an X-ray to determine whether the sprain was, in fact, a sprain or if it was a break. Like overuse injuries, a sprain is treated using rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Your doctor may also wrap your child’s ankle, elbow, or knee to provide it with some support.

According to the UCA, urgent care centers handle nearly 89 million patient visits every year. If you suspect your child has a soccer injury, consider taking them to our urgent care clinic at Care Station Medical Group to have them checked out. We can provide the right sports injury care to have them feeling great again.