12 Ways to Deal with an Injury as a Soccer Player

12 Ways to Deal with an Injury as a Soccer Player

(If you want to improve your confidence on the pitch, make sure you read the full article)

 

As I am writing this, I am sitting with my feet up and my back on the couch. Probably not the best biomechanical position for your entire body, but it is the most comfortable position to keep me out of pain.

For those of you that didn’t know, I had “Sports Hernia Surgery” yesterday on both sides.

Something that I have been dealing with for 3 years (way too long).

How Did I get Injured?

It all started from overtraining my core and my abs….

In the Winter of January 2018, I signed my first professional contract in the Swedish Third Tier (Division Ett) with Nyköpings BIS.

This was also my first time in Sweden and the first time that I’ve ever

seen so many good-looking girls in one country…

I assure you that 8 out of 10 Swedish Girls are absolutely beautiful…

You walk into a convenience store or a gas station to grab a protein bar, and sitting behind the counter is a beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes. They really tend to take your breath away…

I was already in pretty good shape in Sweden…..

But I wanted to get even fitter and look even better for the Swedish Summer for them Swedish Ladies (by the way, one of the best places to be in the summer).

My Best Friend, Andrew Jean Baptiste, would always say, “in the summer, if you want to have a good time, always go to the place where it’s the coldest in the winter, because those people really enjoy the summer.” I found his advice to be the absolute the truth.

Getting back to the story…

I was training my core 7 days per week, sometimes twice per day to look good for the girls, when the Swedish Summer arrived.

You must be saying to yourself right now…

“Damn, I thought Ric was a very good personal trainer, and knows a lot about the body. Shouldn’t he know better?”

To be frank, you are absolutely right. I already had most of my knowledge, back then, but I was stubborn and didn’t listen to myself (as I should have).

If you are a personal trainer or biomechanics specialist, you should know that it’s much easier to tell your client to do something than to do something yourself.

The smart thing to do would’ve been to train the core 3 times per week, and keep a very clean diet (which I had always done).

But if you know me, I’m a guy that always wants to do more, and that’s what probably caused this injury..

It all started with a dull, achy, strain-like feeling…

Sometimes it would go away and sometimes it would come back. I never felt the urge to get operated on, because I never thought it was a big deal.

What did I try before surgery?

I wanted to try every single route possible before going under the knife.

But, during these 3 years, I never felt like myself, I never felt at 100%, but I just kept pushing through (like a fool).

What made me schedule the surgery?

 After signing a contract in Israel, in the 3^rd league with Hapoel Robi Shapira Haifa, I was ready to have a great season and really make a breakthrough with this team..

I had an excellent feeling about the coach and the players around me. I felt very good, with no signs of the same pain that I had in Sweden.

Unfortunately, the world had other plans..

Our season was pushed back about 2 months, and we were stuck in the house, training during quarantine (which I don’t mind at all).

I was training consistently at good speeds, and I felt very good, but, I wasn’t training at speeds as high as I would have liked to.

That is something that you can only experience during team training and full matches.

We came back to the season after a couple months off in the house, as we were not allowed to go outside.

 

 

When I Knew I Needed Surgery:

During the first training sessions after we returned, we got into sprinting straight away (don’t ask me, that’s not my job, I only take care of my 1-on-1 coaching clients).

After that training session, I came home and I started having the same feeling that I had when I started overtraining my core in Sweden. This feeling, however, was sharper and much more significant…

Once again, I iced, I saw physical therapists, did shock wave therapy, needling, and I even saw four Israeli doctors to see what was going on. I tried almost everything you might think of. The pain, however, would just not go away.

The following week (after the first training session), we had a match against the Maccabi Haifa U-21s.

What I Felt During the Game:

After 45 minutes of play, I just didn’t feel right (I felt stiff and not like myself). I couldn’t pass the ball as well (which is one of the strongest parts of my game), and I could only sprint at about 40%.

I felt so bad that I asked my coach to pull me out of the game.

That night, during Shabbat (the Sabbath/rest day in Judaism), I sat in my house alone and really got into a poor mood, with low vibes; which I generally never get into…

As I frequently emphasize, there will always be ups and downs in your career, especially a professional football career.

I didn’t feel like myself on the pitch and I didn’t enjoy the game anymore,  due to the severe pain..

I told myself that  “I need to nip this in the bud, I want to go home and take care of this.” Deep inside, I felt that I needed surgery (no matter what anyone told me).

I wanted to go to the best guy.

My body is the most important thing to me. It is my vehicle, it is my temple. I understand that many people say that, and you might be tired of hearing it..

But I live it!

I spoke with one of my good friends, who also had the “Sports Hernia” surgery done, and he recommended some top-class guys to me.

Back to New York after 18 Months…

One week later (November 2020), I was on a plane to New York to see a specialist who works on “core surgeries.”

After getting an MRI and seeing him multiple times, he didn’t think I needed to rush into surgery right away, and I completely agreed with him. I am one of those guys who wants to completely stay away from the knife (unless it is completely necessary).

I told him that I wanted to try Physical Therapy, and work on strengthening my groin for at least 1 month before going under the knife.

Four weeks later, I felt tons of improvement in how I moved and felt, but the underlying pain was still there and had not gotten any better.

6-Inch Needles Directly Into My Groin…

I was then put in touch with a pain management specialist in New York. He administered trigger point injections directly to the region (and the regions around the groin area) to see if it would relieve my pain.

Those needles were no joke…

They were about 6 inches long…

He gave me about 30-40 injections into several areas in my body. This was likely the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.

This man would literally dig the needle in and search around for adhesions and scar tissue for 20-60 seconds, until the muscle released.

Sorry to get graphic, but I think you needed that..

Unfortunately, after waiting a couple of weeks, nothing helped..

From an emotional standpoint I was lost, I kept saying to myself “what is going on here?”

I called my mother, and told her I needed to go to Philadelphia to see another expert in the field to get a second opinion.

Second Opinion on my Groin:

She completely agreed with me, and she said it’s time to take care of this injury once and for all.

I came down to Philly on Sunday (January 10^th, 2021) with my step-father (who does and would do anything for me to help me achieve my goals).

The next day, I saw the doctor who advised me that he could do the surgery on the core region. He also said that he thought that I could get back to game speed in 6-10 weeks.

He seemed very confident in what he does, and I had a great feeling with him.

Surgery…

The next day, Tuesday (January 12^th, 2021), I was on the operating table, having my surgery.

Today (January 13^th, 2021), I did my first day of physical therapy. Although I am in excruciating pain, I am so, so happy that I went through with this. I can’t wait to get back onto the field.

I know I will come back better on the ball, stronger, faster and more explosive.

Injuries/surgeries are tough on the mind, but I use them as a way to improve myself in other areas of my life.

Check out the 12 Ways I am going to deal with this injury to come back better than I was before…

 

As Promised, Here It Is:

Do You Perform Well in Training? But Fall Short During Games?

There is An Answer!

The RicFit Academy App is the Secret Tool Improve Your Confidence on the Pitch! 

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Here are 12 Key Tips for Helping You to Deal with an Injury as a Soccer Player:

1. You need to accept the injury as is:

-Every single athlete gets injured at some point. You have to accept that it happened and keep moving forward!

2. Do whatever you can that doesn’t hurt or re-injure the area.

-Something as simple as a 1 or 2 mile walk (depending on the injury).

-Working on small stabilizer muscles, etc.

-I have had clients come to me after an ACL Injury, and we worked on strengthening the upper body while she did PT at home.

-I’ve had clients with ankle injuries. It’s simpler than it sounds. You just have to work around it!

3. Get Blood Flow to the Injury Site:

-Use your hands and create a mild massage directly to, and around the area (this gets warm blood to the area to help it heal quicker and more efficiently).

4. Change Your Perspective:

-Completely flip the switch in your mind.

-How can you come back to the field better instead of the “poor me,” I’m out for so long mentality?

5.Keep a journal of pain symptoms to make sure you’re progressing.
-If you do something that hurts you, make sure you write it down and never do that thing again.

-Pay attention to your symptoms and don’t push yourself too hard, too soon.

6️. Set Small Goals.
-My goal right now is to walk 1 Mile per day for the next week.
-The next week I will progress to 2 miles and so on.
-The key is to enjoy, trust the process, and take things, step-by-step.

7️. Be conscious and mindful of your movement.
-Do everything in your daily life with a purpose and with intent.

8. Communicate with family and friends.
   -Don’t completely isolate yourself. Talk with friends and family about how you feel and how you’re progressing.

-The worst thing to do is to sit in a dark room by yourself, and feel bad for yourself. Speak with family and friends that are positive and optimistic. Limit your interactions to only those friends and family members that bring you up, not down!

9. Train your mind.
   -Learn how to calm yourself down and shut your mind off. Meditate. When you return to the field, you’ll notice a huge increase in focus and concentration!
   -Analyze players in your position. Watch players that play like you and try to learn when they dribble, when they pass, when they shoot, and how they defend.
10. Be disciplined with your rehab program.
    -Doing more is usually not better, especially in a rehab type case. Follow along with the plan and the protocol and don’t get too far ahead of yourself.

1️1. Practice Gratitude.
-Of course you don’t want to be injured..
-Use this time as a much needed rest for your body and mind.
-Sometimes, everything happens for a reason.

12. Be Patient & Trust the Process:

-There is no rush (even though you may think there is).

-Listen to your body, it knows best.

Injuries can slow you down mentally and physically. But the main thing that an injury can teach you is the gratitude of being able to play the game when you’re healthy and 100%.

One thing this injury has also taught me is to move more slowly through your daily life (the fact that you don’t always have to rush around and “do, do, do.”). There is time in the day for everything you want to do, as long as you are dedicated to making time.

If you are injured, and reading this, I wish you a speedy recovery, and I can’t wait to see you get back to the field at 100%.

Love You!

-Ricky