A Parents Guide to Preventing Hockey Injuries
By Joel Boyd, MD
You’ve made it through another year of hockey, hopefully injury free. As you look to the playoffs, summer hockey and ultimately next season, have you considered what’s needed to identify and prevent hockey injuries? Dr. Joel Boyd, team physician for the Minnesota Wild, exposes three myths that can find their way into your hockey home.
Myth #1: “no pain, no gain”
The unspoken culture of sports is to perform through pain. It’s a dangerous expectation fueled by the notion of “no pain, no gain.” This mantra only fosters injury. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reported that over 67,000 people each year sustain hockey-related injuries that cause them to be seen by a doctor. To keep our children away from overuse injuries, we must teach them to listen to their bodies and be smart about hockey.
The first step is differentiating between pain and discomfort. Discomfort is a healthy output from muscle fatigue in the process of growing stronger, and typically goes away within a couple of days after a taxing practice or game. Pain, however, is the body’s warning mechanism, and when it doesn’t go away after a few days or intensifies during activity, it’s time for your child to rest.
Most often, timely self-care can prevent further damage, and the situation will correct itself. Proper self-care includes rest from activity that causes pain, ice, elevation and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications for swelling and pain. If a particular injury causes your athlete to limp or have weakness, see a doctor for an evaluation. Generally the soft tissues and joints require one to two weeks for repair. When pain lasts more than two weeks, it’s time to get an expert involved. A doctor can evaluate the situation and develop a treatment plan to get your child back to hockey.
Myth #2: “no thirst, no dehydration”
Often athletes get the impression that drinking water when thirsty is enough to keep hydrated. In reality, thirst is only a signal of already being dehydrated, and a poor one at that. By the point you are thirsty, you’ve already lost about two
percent of your body’s water.
As documented by the American College of Sports Medicine, dehydration causes core body temperature to rise, increases strain on the heart and decreases performance, as well as cognitive and mental performance. Ice hockey players are at an even higher risk due to the amount of equipment required during play. Lack of hydration boils down to unnecessary stress on the body and decreased performance.
Proper hydration starts long before your athlete goes out on the rink and long after the workout. At least 2-3 hours prior, your child should be consuming at least eight ounces of water or sport beverages. Fifteen minutes prior to activity, the athlete should consume at least 16 ounces, and 8 ounces for every 15 to 20 minutes of activity. Immediately following play and 2-3 hours later are also important points to continue hydration.
Many parents ask if sports drinks are beneficial or if they are just hype. While water is readily available almost anywhere your child will play, sports drinks have been shown to improve performance due to the electrolyte and carbohydrate content. Whether you choose water or sports drinks, keeping your child hydrated can improve their performance up to 15%. That should be motivation enough for the hockey player in your life to hydrate before becoming thirsty.
Myth #3: “no loss of consciousness, no concussion”
Often concussions are equated with loss of consciousness, but in reality many concussions do not involve loss of consciousness at all. When a concussion occurs the brain is injured, changing the chemicals controlling function as well
as altering the brain’s ability to break down various compounds. Concussions are especially concerning because they are an often-missed injury.
Always wearing a properly fitted helmet when playing is the first safeguard against concussions, but helmets don’t make players invincible. The high collision nature of hockey, ice and the no-give boards surrounding many games makes for a dangerous combination for injury, even with a helmet. It is important your child understands that the helmet does not allow the player to become a human battering ram. Players should keep their head up, especially when near the boards and when checking, and respect the “stop” sign on the back of others’ jerseys. Always wearing a mouth guard will also decrease the risk of concussion.
As parents, you know your children best and are in an important position to watch for symptoms of a concussion. Symptoms include:
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Nausea
• Foggy, poor concentration
• Trouble remembering immediate details (score of the game, opponent, or period)
• Decreased coordination
• Ringing in the ears
At the point of impact, activate the rink’s emergency plan and/or call 911 if there is suspected neck injury, if there is loss of consciousness for more than 30 seconds, or if mental status deteriorates during the period of observation.
Many players may want to hide these symptoms because they want to remain in the game and love their sport. Following a concussion, it is vital the player does not return to play too quickly. If a second concussion occurs during the recovery time of the first, it can cause irreversible damage.
Here are the general guidelines for determining return to play:
• NEVER allow symptomatic player to return to play.
• If symptoms persist longer than 15 minutes or if any loss of consciousness occurs, no return to play that day.
• ANY previous concussion increases risk.
• If symptom free, the player must first perform an exertion challenge (i.e., run 40 yards, multiple sit ups/push ups) AND remain symptom free.
Since the brain is involved, if you have any doubt it’s better to seek medical help for professional evaluation prior to returning to play.
Busting the myths above are just a few ways to prevent injury. Additional injury prevention tactics include warm-up prior to play, a good nutritional base, wearing properly fitted equipment meeting safety regulations, off-season conditioning and cross-training, and making sure first-aid kits are available on-site at games and practices. You are in the best place to encourage your child to see safety as a way to enhance their game, not detract from it.
Joel Boyd, MD, is a sports medicine surgeon at TRIA Orthopaedic Center in Bloomington, MN. He serves as lead team physician for the Minnesota Wild, as well as team physician for the 1998 men’s and women’s USA Olympic Hockey teams.