Ouch! Are You Injured or Just Sore?

“Everything hurts!” Players think it often. Parents hear it frequently. But how is the player or parent to know when to heed those body aches and get medical help? There are some signs to consider that can help you gauge what’s happened and what to do next.

There are many reasons a soccer player could feel achy. Muscle soreness “is normal,” Jacqueline Crockford, exercise physiologist and education specialist at American Council on Exercise (ACE), tells SELF.com. If you move your muscles in a new way, “it is very likely that you will experience some level of soreness.”

Injury on the other hand is more likely to be painful. Crockford says, “sharp, stabbing, deep pains…are the ones that are signs it might be more serious." 

Plus, an injury is going to stay with you longer. You might expect to feel sore a day or even two after heavier than normal or different activity. But soreness that doesn’t subside after three days could indicate a true injury.

Diagnosing the Injury

In a SportsEngine blog, Twin Cities Orthopedics suggested parents ask the following four questions:

• What happened? The sooner you ask, the better. Try to get an understanding of the context for the pain. E.g. did the pain start immediately after a hard tackle? Or was it something the player woke up experiencing one day?

• Where is the pain? Sharp pains in the joints should be checked out. Muscles, though, are more likely to get bruised or overused. That makes them sore, yes, but it’s typically short-term.

• Show me where it hurts? If there’s rapid swelling, bruising, or say (heaven forbid a bone poking out at an odd angle) get a medical opinion. You probably already guessed that with the bone one, right? 

• How does it feel when you move it? Watch the player’s reaction when they move the affected part of the body. If they can’t do that without wincing in pain, or they can’t put weight on that extremity, you could be looking at an injury.

Soccer parents are also going to face athletes who want to skip practice for the slightest soreness (though hopefully not on Mutiny!) or those who will want to downplay pain in order to  live up to expectations.

When you’ve been in the doctor’s office, even for yourself, they ask you to rank the pain on a 1-10 scale. You might do the same when questioning the young athlete. You want to try not ask leading questions, as the young athlete may just give you the answer they think you want to hear.

A good strategy is to keep an eye on the young athlete in other settings. Do they run to the bus just fine when they think you aren’t looking? Are they protecting that hurt body part from a dog jumping up to say hello?

Preparing for a Doctor’s Visit

Doctors will ask you questions to the ones above. For them to diagnose you and determine a treatment plan, they’re going to need as much information as you can provide. It will help if you can try to remember what caused the pain as well as be able to describe how the pain feels.

You don’t want to leave injuries unattended — especially in young athletes. They are still growing and their bones are often not even set yet. So, a visit to a doctor or specialist is probably a good idea. 

Don’t avoid the doctor for fear of “you can’t play” diagnosis. That may be the long-term effect of leaving a lingering injury unattended. In the short-term, getting seen and hearing advice about what the athlete can and can’t do, could get you back on the pitch sooner.

Speaking of returning to the field after an injury, check out next week’s blog for more input on that.