A Leeds physiotherapist says clubs need to give players more time to recover from injuries.
Chris Winrow says injuries are made worse by getting players back on the field too soon. “There is not enough emphasis on rehab because of the pressure on players to play,” he said.
A lot of players will never forget their injury record and for a handful of them, it is an incident that is hard to put past them. “It took me over 2 years to regain and trust a simple shoulder injury”. said Chris.
For many players, the upcoming World Cup will be a hit-and-miss as the injuries they’ve sustained are more serious than suspected and will force them to sit this one out and support their peers from home. Reece James, N’Golo Kante, Kyle Walker and John Stones are just a few players whose World Cup attendance is in serious doubt.
Leeds Beckett student, Asa Lowe struggled with a back injury for almost four years but admitted he stayed positive because of his family and friends despite facing many difficult moments. “Of course, it was hard not being able to play football but I still felt happy when I watched my mates enjoy themselves whilst being injury-free,” Asa said.
Injuries have risen by 20 percent across Europe’s top 5 leagues and with club matches being cramped in because of the World Cup, the situation may only worsen and when you look at further stats stating that injuries in the Premier League increased from 938 to 1,231 injuries in 2021-22, it begs the question as to why the richest and most developed leagues with access to the best treatment and facilities are still having to worry deeply about their players and injuries.
