Common Youth Hockey Injuries and How to Help Prevent Them

Springtime means ice hockey is in full bloom. The NHL playoffs are going on, and youth athletes are trying to play like their favorite players.  We have some top quality hockey clubs in Southern California now like Orange County Hockey Club, California Gold Rush, and the various ICE and Anaheim Ducks youth programs.

Kids are pushing themselves to the limit; and sometimes they will get hurt. Some injuries are more common than others, but no pain is better than mild pain. The Next Level Wellness team here in Orange County wants to review some of the most common injuries your little playmakers and grinders can sustain while they are on the way to putting the “biscuit in the basket.” 

Knee Ligament Injuries

Overstretching knees can be very painful, and this injury is highly likely while playing ice hockey. Ice is slippery and when you have lots of players chasing after a puck on skates, collisions will occur. If your child falls, their limbs may bend ways they aren’t meant to. This can also happen to a youth hockey player when trying to change direction very quickly.

How can we help prevent it?

Stretching, strength and conditioning, and ensuring your child has a good warm up and cool down will help prevent injuries to the knees. Have them stretch their quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves during both warm up and also after playing. This will help keep your youth athlete flexible and make them less susceptible to injury.

How can we help take the pain away?

Heating before they play again will help ease some of the pain and tension. Ice their injured knee(s) after playing to reduce swelling and inflammation, which causes pain.

Groin Strains

Hockey is very fast paced. Kids change directions quickly constantly and that can wreak havoc on their hips and adductors. A seated groin or butterfly stretch can help prevent and ease pain associated with a strained groin.  Squats and other strength and conditioning can also help immensely. 

High Ankle Sprains

High ankle sprains aren’t as common as the other injuries we mentioned here, but they do happen from time to time. Sometimes their feet twist ways that they aren’t meant to while we’re wearing skates, so it’s best to keep strength and conditioning to build more body awareness.

Stand on the edge of a step, lift heels up, slowly lower, and then lift up. Have your hockey player do a few sets of 10 to stretch calves, shins, and ankles while building strength.

Even though high ankle sprains aren’t as common in hockey players they can keep eager kids off of the ice for a while. Always, have ice on hand for any injuries, aches and pains.

Always consult a physician if your child has sustained a hockey injury. Our team at Next Level Wellness in Irvine wants to make sure hockey superstar enjoys their season without pain. Most kids don’t have a proper evaluation of their tendons, ligaments, joints, and muscles before beginning or resuming a sport, and some kids will experience new or lingering pains and play through them thinking they are minor.

Fascial Integrative Treatment, or F.I.T., is an innovative and advanced soft-tissue system. It is a manual hands-on therapy that corrects the dysfunctions that these soft-tissues can undergo. During the F.I.T. process, we will evaluate the problematic area, properly diagnose the condition, treat it and evaluate the surrounding muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, nerves, and joints.

Our Stay F.I.T. special for athletes covers all of the treatment above for just $79 ($250 value). Don’t let your young athlete or yourself suffer from nagging injuries caused by being active in sports.

Our chiropractic team of wellness doctors – chiropractors and sports medicine specialists, Vasili Gatsinaris, DC, QME, James Kim, DC, Adam Abulghualya, DC, BS, ART and Caprice Leonard, MA, ATC specialize in chiropractic and health and wellness care. Our Irvine chiropractic office is located near John Wayne Airport, convenient for people living in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Santa Ana and other surrounding Orange County communities. To learn more about our variety of services or to schedule an appointment, take advantage of our Stay F.I.T. special and contact us or call 949-263-9003 today.