Watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup from Oakville, it’s difficult not to watch the action and coverage through the lens of a Physiotherapist. We’ve been watching with interest the complete picture, from what’s happening as the teams warm-up, to trainers dealing with on-field injuries to the nuances of team Canada’s preparation in the the documentary series “Rise” on TSN. It’s exciting to see such a high level of soccer play happening in Canada.
Higher level soccer teams generally have a disciplined and thorough dynamic Warm-Up. This allows the joints and muscles to prepare for the activity that will be asked of them, helping to prevent injury. For a trainer / Physiotherapist, when to enter the field of play to deal with an injured player is a delicate dance – you can’t go too early because the player may bounce up and get going but you also don’t want to leave an injured payer without treatment. Even how trainers from different teams treat an injured player varies. During the initial Canada versus China game a player from China was hit in the chest by a hard kicked ball. The trainer swiftly ran onto the soccer field to the injured player, went back-to-back with them, linked arms and draped her over their back, lifting her feet from the ground – I had a bit of a chuckle at this treatment technique not traditionally seen from Canadian Physios or trainers.
The mini-documentary series RISE on TSN follows the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team as they prepare and fine-tune their game and fitness leading up to the world cup. As Physios and practitioners who believe is treating a person based on the whole picture, it’s interesting to see the athletes training encompass not just the sport, but their strength and fitness, and the emotional and social interplay. Many of these Athletes have experienced serious injuries from muscle strains to ACL tears and reconstructions. The same drive and focus that has lead them to become National level athletes has lead them to recover from these injuries.
You can see in the series the role of Physiotherapists working with these athletes is broad. The Physios assist the athletes and team in various components of their journey from injury prevention, treating acute injuries, post surgical recovery, return to play and even in day-to-day recovery from training and pre-game taping / work. As with any patient a Physio in this role works together with the athletes towards their goals which in this case is usually return to play, and to play in the 2015 World Cup!
Side note – When searching “fotolia” for pictures for this post it was difficult to find photos of women actually PLAYING soccer that didn’t include high heels etc. I’m not sure why this is as women usually wear cleats, turf shoes, or indoor soccer shoes to play soccer, (depending on the surface of play) not high heels. I’m sure Brittney the Chiropodist (Foot Care Specialist) at Palermo Physio and Wellness would also disapprove of this promotion of wearing high heels to play soccer. Surely the heel would also pierce into the turf or grass and increase of the chances of ankle sprain, ACL tear etc….also, how do does someone run in those!?
As with Physiotherapists working with the Women’s National Soccer Team, the Physios at Palermo Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre in Oakville, work together with you to help achieve your goals. Whether your goals are to help prevent injury and prepare for your season, return to a sport or simply to activities of enjoyment our team at Palermo Physio are here to help. Book Now!