The chance of sustaining an injury depends on many variables, including the level of participation, player position, protective equipment, violent behavior, and personal susceptibility due to pre-existing injuries and style of play. Injuries occur much more frequently in games and increase with each level of participation. The number one killer for hockey players was car accidents, then plan crash, followed by heart attack, heart arrest, suicide, head injuries, suicides, leukemia, on ice injuries etc.
Some of the injuries includes;
Back Injuries
Hockey players are at risk for low-back injuries due to the flexed (forward) posture of skating and the frequent hyper extension (backward) stress. Low-back pain and/or a pulled muscle are the most common injuries. Stretching of the hip flexors along with strengthening of the back and abdominal muscles will help avoid these injuries.
Hip Injuries
The hip joint and groin muscles are susceptible to injury due to the mechanics of the skating stride. Some of the most common soft tissue injuries in hockey players include a groin strain and a hip flexor strain. Off-season strengthening and dedicated stretching before and after practice are important to prevent these injuries. In addition, a direct blow to the outside of the hip can cause a hip pointer or trochanteric bursitis. Hockey pants with reinforced padding over these vulnerable areas may help protect them.
Knee Injuries
The medial collateral ligament is most susceptible to a sprain because of the leg position—pushing off the inside edge of the skate blade—and contact to the outside of the knee. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) disruption and meniscus tears (torn cartilage) can also occur but are less common in hockey than in other sports such as football, soccer, and basketball.
Concussion
Concussion is also known as mild brain injury, mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), mild head injury and minor head trauma. Some experts define concussion as a head injury with temporary loss of brain function, which can cause cognitive, physical and emotional symptoms. Concussion may also be defined as an injury to the brain generally caused by a jolt or blow to the head – in the majority of cases the individual does not lose consciousness.
Ice hockey players suffer a Conclusions just like the foot ball players, during a body check, and it will be one of the cause of committing suicide, chronic headache, mood swings, agitations, insomnia and the list goes on . Without getting “knocked out” (loss of consciousness). Players, coaches, and parents should be aware of the typical symptoms and signs, including “not feeling right” and un explained headache. Any player experiencing symptoms or displaying signs of a concussion should not return to play and should be medically evaluated. I think that Heart damage also a possibility. The heart muscels can sustain a damages on a micro level with repetitive hits on the chest by a body check.colliding chest to chest, shoulder to chest and body slam to the chest.
Shoulder Injuries
The most common shoulder injuries in hockey are a shoulder separation and a broken collarbone. These injuries occur from direct contact of the shoulder with another player, the boards, or the ice. Treatment can include a sling, rest and in serious cases surgery.
Elbow Injuries
The point of the elbow is a frequent area of contact, which can result in the development of bursitis. Thick and scarred bursal tissue (which feels like bone chips, but isn’t) can be a source of recurrent inflammation. The best prevention method is wearing elbow pads that fit well and have an opening for the elbow, soft padding, and a plastic outer shell.
Wrist Injuries
A fall on the outstretched arm or contact with the boards that forces the wrist up or down may cause a fracture. Players should try bracing themselves against the boards using their forearms instead of their hands
. The intrinsic hazards of playing hockey cannot be completely eliminated, but the risk of injury can be substantially reduced. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of hockey injuries are mild. Most injuries involve the soft tissues: bruises, muscle strains, ligament tears, and cuts. Serious injuries are possible and players should avoid dangerous tactics. A few tips for preventing injuries include:
- Obtaining a preseason screening examination by an experienced athletic trainer or physician to identify existing injuries and uncover deficiencies.
- Participating in a sports-specific conditioning program to avoid physical overload.
- Obtaining high-quality equipment that fits well and is not damaged, worn-out, or undersized.
- Enforcement of existing rules. Players and coaches should always demonstrate sportsmanship and mutual respect for their opponents and the officials.
Following injury and treatment, a post-injury evaluation ensures successful healing and guides safe return to play.
The most common injuries
Lacerations (cuts) to the head, scalp, and face are the most frequent types of injury. However, the use of helmets and face shields has markedly reduced the incidence of injuries to the face and head.
Yet, there has been an increase in neck and spine injuries in the past decade. Some players may adopt a false sense of security, believing that they are not susceptible to injury when wearing protective equipment. Usually, however, that’s when injuries occur-when you least expect them.
A unique aspect of hockey is that gloves normally protect the hands from injury, but when fighting occurs and the protective gloves are removed, the hands become exposed to injury. These injuries include fractures, torn tendons, or even bite wounds from striking an opposing player’s teeth.
According to the Brain Injury Association of America males are twice as likely as females to sustain a brain injury. Those at highest risk of a brain injury are males aged 15 to 24 years. People who have had a brain injury are more likely to experience a subsequent brain injury. In 2008 there were 351,992 sports-related head injuries that were treated in hospital emergency rooms in the USA, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. No one addresses the heart muscel micro injury and the effect of the trump to the chest wall. Many lecture addresses the chest wall injuries, fracture ribs, sternum injuries etc and they ignore the heart muscels injuries that caused by a body check.
It has been estimated that as many as one-third of injuries are caused by foul play. Many have observed a need for increased vigilance in this area, particularly at the adolescent and high school levels. Establishment and enforcement of effective rules have lead to fewer injuries.
Education on the ice
Education regarding equipment usage, as well as teaching players to avoid the “head down” or “spearing” postures of the neck, should remind players that helmets do not make them invincible. And, as in any sport, proper coaching and effective training and conditioning can serve to further reduce injury.
What are the best ways to prevent injury in hockey?
Accidents can occur at any level of the game and in any environment. The best ways to prevent any injury in hockey are to:
- Play at the appropriate skill level and game speed.
- Have adequate individual skills that allow you to keep your head up at all times and not stare down at the puck.
- Be aware of where other players are on the ice at all times, and know how to get yourself into the proper position for a body check.
- Wear proper-fitting and well-maintained equipment. There should be no exposed areas that could be hit with a puck, stick or skate.
- Be in top physical shape (speed, agility, endurance, strength) to withstand the demands of the game. I highly encourage all players at any level to skate in their equipment at least six to 10 times in the six weeks before tryouts. Trying to play yourself into shape during tryouts camp is a recipe for overuse injuries — most commonly groin strains. Since a groin strain can take months to fully heal, it can ruin an entire hockey season. But it is preventable by pre-tryout skating.
Commotio cordis is a very rare event, but nonetheless is often considered when an athlete presents with sudden cardiac death. Some of the sports which have a risk for this cause of trauma are ice hockey, baseball, foot ball and other body contact sports. Children are especially vulnerable.
The small window of vulnerability explains why it is a rare event. Considering that the total cardiac cycle has a duration of 1 second (for a base cardiac frequency of 60 beats per minute), the probability of a mechanical trauma within the window of vulnerability is 1 to 3% only. That also explains why the heart becomes more vulnerable when it is physically strained by sports activities:
The increase in heart rate may double the probability above (e.g., with 120 beats per minute the cardiac cycle shortens to 500 milliseconds without fundamentally altering the window-of-vulnerability’s size)
Play safe and watch your heart .
thanks for reading.
Steve Ramsey. Calgary, Canada.