How one Premier League Soccer Goalie Used PowerPlay to Recover from a Shoulder Injury.
Because he started playing soccer at the age of three, you can say Josh Cohen has played soccer his entire life.
He started playing in little league and eventually became a goalkeeper at the University of California San Diego. Now, Cohen plays professionally as part of the Israeli Premier League.
During the 21/22 season the inevitable for a goalie happened: mid-game Cohen took a hard fall, sustaining a shoulder injury.
“I was backpedaling from outside the eighteen-yard box while facing opposition on the breakaway,” Cohen recalled. “I blocked the ball by outstretching my leg and ended up falling backward on my arm.”
Recovery Before Injury
Cohen understands the importance of consistent training to manage the impact of the high-energy game. Prior to his recent shoulder injury, he practiced strength and mobility exercises to proactively protect his joints. Not only was he building strength but working to stabilize his joints.
“If I had a tough training session, I would use ice, massage or e-stim as needed,” Cohen said.
Cold and Compression Recovery
Facing his shoulder subluxation injury, surgery was a potential treatment option. Hoping to avoid an invasive surgery, Cohen began looking for non-surgical rehabilitation. That’s how he found PowerPlay.
“I was looking online for rehabilitation compression solutions,” said Cohen. “I asked a member of our training staff and he recommended [PowerPlay].”
Cohen used PowerPlay’s shoulder wrap to combine cold and compression therapy to recover from his injury.
Recovery from subluxation is long and demands consistency. Cohen was advised not to utilize his injured shoulder for heavy lifting or sports for six weeks to three months.
“PowerPlay has been easy to use during my recovery,” said Cohen. “I don’t have to worry about ice bags. The pump is small enough to fit in my pocket so I can still move around. I’ve been able to avoid surgery because of PowerPlay.”
Cohen currently uses PowerPlay daily for his shoulder. On training days, he uses it more than once to reduce inflammation, minimize pain, and maximize his range of motion. Additionally, he uses it as needed for his knees, quads, and hamstrings after training sessions.
Cohen’s recovery advice for athletes is consistency along with sleep and diet.
“Sleep and diet are often overlooked in recovery,” said Cohen. “They are arguably the most important. Athletes should have well-defined treatment and exercise protocols to follow nearly every day. It will create habits that benefit recovery and ensure proactivity, not reactivity.”
Josh is on the road to recovery and back on the field for the 2023 season. He continues to use PowerPlay for cold compression therapy that will help protect and heal his shoulder.
Learn more about recovery for athletes here.
