Injuries are extremely common in hockey, especially during collisions with other players. Add to that fast skating speeds, sharp skate blades and a slippery surface and you've got the potential for a number of different injuries.
“Shoulder injuries are very common in ice hockey,” says Behnad Honarbakhsh, a physiotherapist and HealthChoicesFirst.com partner. “Part of the reason is the shoulder joint is a very unstable joint where you've got a shallow socket with a big ball sitting in there. Most shoulder injuries happen when there's a fall and you have your arms stretched out; when you fall with an outstretched arm the shoulder can get dislocated out of the socket.”
Other Hockey Injuries
In addition to shoulder injuries, players can also damage the collarbone or AC joint (where your shoulder blade and collarbone come together), especially when they get checked into the boards.
“You can also get a fracture to the head or neck of the humeris,” says Honarbakhsh.
Using a Shoulder Brace for an Injury
“With shoulder injuries depending on the severity of the injury and the nature of the injury there's several tools that we can use to help you in your recovery,” says Honarbakhsh. “Sometimes people will need some bracing or splinting in the initial phase while the tissue is trying to heal.”
A specialized shoulder brace will allow a patient to improve range of motion without keeping the joint in a static position where it can stiffen up and lead to other detrimental effects.
“Taping is another option that we usually use for a shoulder injuries that help people get through rehab a little bit faster and sort of provide stability and control where needed,” says Honarbakhsh.
Treatment for Shoulder Injuries
If you have a shoulder injury, it's very important to get to a qualified physiotherapist so that they can determine the severity of the injury and whether or not the shoulder needs to be immobilized.
“We may need to immobilize the shoulder with a sling or a shoulder brace perhaps or whether or not we need to start off on rehab exercises right away,” says Honarbakhsh.
Seeing a physiotherapist will help you improve strengthening and flexibility and get you back to recovery as optimally as possible.
Physiotherapy Clinics in Canada
Alberta:
Active Physiotherapy & Wellness Centre, Calgary
Tawa Physiotherapy and Sport, Edmonton
British Columbia:
Sun City Physio, Kelowna
Ontario:
Cleveland Clinic Canada, Oakville
Toronto Physiotherapy, Toronto
Quebec:
Action Sport Physio, Laval
Kinatex Sports Physio, Quebec