Sports Spotlight on: Hockey

Dave Williams, of our Altrincham and Wilmslow clinics, shines a ‘Sports Spotlight’ on Hockey…….

Hockey’s popularity, particularly in the women’s game, grew after the brilliant success of Team GB in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

It is however a sport which, like most others, comes with its own risk of injuries.

The most common injuries tend to be contact injuries from either the ball, or an opponent’s stick. This causes bad bruising, or in some instances fractures. Gum shields, shin pads, hand protection in gloves, and even facial shields when facing short corners, provide optimal protection against these scenarios and is a must for all players.

Almost all games are played on astro-turf now. Whilst this material is brilliant at providing a flat, true and predictable surface to speed the game up, it can lead to astro burns. These, when they occur, need to be cleaned thoroughly to avoid the risk of infection. Some types of astro turf can also lead to increased instances of groin pain, as there is little ‘give’ in the surface. Water based pitches however, seem to be a little kinder on the body.

Besides this, people suffer from muscular strains of varying degrees. Most commonly in the hamstring (back of thigh), calf and quadriceps (front of thigh) muscles. If you require any help with such injuries, we provide a comprehensive ‘return to play’ rehabilitation programme to ensure this isn’t a recurring problem. Most muscular problems require strengthening treatment. This should ideally be done as part of your conditioning, twice per week. This ensures that you have the strength required to deal with the amount, and speed of running which hockey demands. Other common Hockey injuries are a mixture of ankle lateral ligament (ankle rolls), knee ligament (mainly the inside of your knee or cruciate), meniscal injuries (soft cartilage in the knee) and of course lower back pain.

I always tend to think of impact injuries as largely unavoidable. However muscular injuries are generally created from an overload. Too much speed or volume relative to the strength and endurance of the muscle. With this in mind, spend time on your strengthening and fitness work. You may require a massage to aid recovery from time to time – particularly in pre-season.

We hope you enjoyed this Sports Spotlight on Hockey.

If you have any questions or would like to book in, please call us on 0161 832 9000 or use the ‘book now’ link below.