On the list of one of the most dangerous sports around is ice hockey. This is a fast moving game where the puck can reach speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. The players wear metal skates and wield large sticks while skating around on a smooth and slippery surface. The players purposely hit or “check” each other while trying to take possession of the puck. They also aren’t afraid of, shall we say, showing their aggression. It’s little wonder there are a lot of injuries to athletes who play ice hockey.
While the most frequent injury to a hockey player may be lacerations on their hands, face and head, ice hockey can be brutal on a player’s knees, neck, spine and shoulders. Falls on the hard ice surface can cause injury to the lower body. These types of injury almost always require physical therapy to help minimize the recovery time.
Our Advanced physical therapy in Downers Grove treats many athletes who play ice hockey. Our goal is to first control the pain and swelling. Then we work on getting the player’s range of motion back. Because knee injuries and separated shoulders are also very common, a lot of stretching and strengthening of the shoulder and knee muscles is required.
Making sure a player is at 100% is the objective with any physical therapy and only when a player has recovered fully should they be allowed back onto the ice.