Am I Injured? Hurt vs. Harm.

You would expect it to be blatantly obvious to hockey players when they are hurt, however I get many questions where the players says something like, “I tweaked my groin about 3 months ago, it is good now as long as I don't take full strides.”  What?  I get at least two questions like this per week from hockey players so this article will help you decide whether you have an injury or just some residual soreness from playing hard or taking a big hit in the corner.

There are many reasons hockey players may experience acute body aches and pain following games or off-ice training.  Here are a few of the most common.

• Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) – this is the discomfort that you feel after any unaccustomed physical activity.  It is caused by micro trauma to the muscle fibers which trigger an inflammatory response.  This discomfort feels like a bruise in the muscle belly and is typically worse when the muscle is put on a stretch or your buddy pokes you in the chest right after your first heavy bench press workout (not that any hockey players do bench press of course).  This pain should resolve over 3-5 days.
• Contusion or Bruise – this occurs when your soft tissue is pinched in some manner.  For example when you get slashed across the forearms boards by your dirty little opponent, the soft tissue of your forearm is pinched between your radius or ulna (bones) and their hockey stick.  If you have a contusion, you will see a bruise and you will usually be able to relate it to a specific incident on the ice.   It should resolve over 5-7 days and icing will typically help resolve the symptoms.  Do not downplay the seriousness of major bruises.  Some bruises may be very serious – the discoloration you see in a bruise is due to bleeding within the muscle tissue. 
• Sprain – this is what people typically refer to as a ‘tweak'.  The hockey player feels pain in a muscle while skating or shooting.  Sometimes they will move and immediately feel a pull or the discomfort may build over time.

 

Hurt or Harm

Does it hurt anytime you move or just when you put the muscle on a stretch? 

• If your muscle(s) only really hurt when you put them on stretch and if you just started a new workout routine or it was your first day on the ice after a break, then this is probably delayed onset muscle soreness.  Perform some light stretching and ice any areas that are especially tender – do not apply heat within the first 24-hours.  You are okay to play, just make sure you do a thorough dynamic warm up.

Do you see bruising?  Can you relate it to an incident?

• If you have pain and bruising on your ankle and you can relate it to blocking a shot then this is a contusion.  If the bruise is sore to touch, but does not have any impact on your ability to walk, run, cut or skate then you are good to play. 
• If you have pain and bruising on your lateral ankle that appears a few days after your game and you remember ‘tweaking' it once sliding feet first into the boards this is a sprained ankle.  If you cannot walk and skate pain-free you should get this looked at by a qualified, experienced sport physiotherapist right away.

Do you have bruising on your thigh that went away, but you have some ongoing groin pain when you skate or stretch?

• The bruising was probably related to a muscle strain.  This type of bruising often appears away from the sight of the initial injury.  Gravity will carry the blood and bruising down the extremity.  If this discomfort is mild, but has persisted beyond 3-5 days and is not getting better, you should get it checked by a qualified and experienced sport physiotherapist sooner than later.

To Sum It Up

Injuries are part of being a hockey player.  Some injuries are minor and will resolve on their own.  Other injuries are seemingly minor, but do not resolve on their own and others yet are serious and require immediate attention. 

As a rule if you have a ‘tweak'  that is not getting better or getting worse over the course of a week then you should get it checked out.  If you have pain in a joint or muscle pain that causes you to change your skating, walking, shooting, hitting mechanics, then you should get this checked out right away. 

Ignoring little injuries is a recipe for a big injury.  When hockey players teach themselves compensation patterns they overload other muscles and joints, so compensating for a stiff ankle may lead to serious back or hip pain down the road.  Be a responsible hockey player take care of your ‘tweaks' before you end up watching from the press box.

 
 

Maria Mountain, MSc is a Fitness Coach and the owner or Revolution Conditioning in Ontario, Canada.  She works with Olympic, professional and amateur athletes who are committed to maximizing their performance while reducing the risk of injuries. 

To learn more about training for hockey visit www.hockeytrainingpro.com and register for her free 5-part hockey training course.  If you are a goalie looking to win more games and decrease your risk of injury, then take a look at www.ultimategoalietraining.com which is guaranteed to make you a better hockey player.