How to avoid injury

Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, there’s nothing worse than being injured. Sitting on the sidelines watching your hopeless team-mates chase the ball around is bad enough, let alone with an injury.

But what can you do to protect yourself from wounds, sprains and muscle tears? You can put that pint down and stub that cigarette out for a start.

Then you have to dedicate 10-15 minutes to dynamic stretching before kick-off. And don’t rush off to the bar once the final whistle blows.

Stay on the pitch and warm down with some static stretching – this will help break down the build up of lactic acid and lengthen your muscles, says Millwall’s head physio, Bobby Bacic.

To help you avoid injury, hit play and hear more from Bacic.

Bobby Bacic was speaking at the Science + Football Conference. This year's conference is on Wednesday, April 30 at the London Soccer Dome. For more information visitwww.scienceandfootball.com

For more tips see:
Injury-proof your boots
6 steps to repair and rebuild
Know your pains
Come back stronger, faster, fitter
How to prevent injury: 3 essential rules
Injury-proof your ankle
Treating injuries with RICE
Recovery rules for football
Recovery: A how to guide
Shane Long's rules to recovery
Micah Richards: Recharge your batteries for the next game