Hockey Season Is Here: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Managing Common Hockey Injuries

As hockey season gets underway, young players are returning to the ice, joining new teams, and ramping up their training. While hockey is a fantastic way for kids and teens to develop strength, coordination, confidence, and teamwork, it is also a physically demanding sport that places significant stress on the body.

As a chiropractor, hockey player, and someone who has spent many years involved in competitive hockey, I’ve seen the sport from both sides: the perspective of an athlete who wants to stay on the ice and the perspective of a clinician helping athletes recover from injuries and return to the activities they love. I understand how frustrating an injury can be, particularly when you're in the middle of a season, and how important it is to balance recovery with the desire to keep playing.

That experience has shaped my approach to working with athletes. My focus is not just on addressing pain when it occurs, but also on helping players build strength, improve movement, and understand how to look after their bodies throughout the season.

Whether your child is playing house league, rep hockey, or competitive AAA, a little preparation and an understanding of common injuries can go a long way. Here are some things parents should know about keeping young athletes healthy, recognizing potential injuries, and supporting a safe return to the ice.

Common Hockey Injuries in Young Players

Hockey combines speed, power, agility, and physical contact. Some injuries happen suddenly, while others develop gradually as training demands increase.

1. Groin and Hip Injuries

Skating requires repeated hip flexion, extension, and powerful lateral movements. These demands can place considerable stress on the muscles surrounding the hips and groin.

Common problems include:

• Groin muscle strains

• Hip flexor strains

• Adductor-related pain

• Overuse-related hip discomfort

Players may notice pain when skating, accelerating, changing direction, or taking powerful strides. Reduced hip strength, limited mobility, and sudden increases in training volume may contribute to symptoms.

What can help? A progressive strength and conditioning program that includes the hips, glutes, and inner thigh muscles can help prepare players for the demands of skating. Persistent or recurring groin and hip pain should be assessed rather than simply played through.

2. Knee Injuries

The knee experiences substantial forces during skating, stopping, pivoting, and contact. Young hockey players may develop gradual-onset knee pain or sustain an acute injury following a collision or awkward movement.

Common concerns include:

• Patellofemoral pain, often felt around or behind the kneecap

• Growth-related conditions such as Osgood-Schlatter disease

• Ligament injuries, including ACL sprains or tears

• Meniscal injuries

Knee pain may become more noticeable during skating, squatting, climbing stairs, or jumping. In growing athletes, repetitive loading can sometimes irritate structures around the knee.

What can help? Building strength in the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles, alongside appropriate movement training, can support knee function. Swelling, instability, locking, or difficulty bearing weight warrants prompt medical assessment.

3. Ankle Sprains

Ankle sprains can occur when a player lands awkwardly, loses their balance, or twists their ankle during a fall or collision. Hockey skates provide substantial ankle support, but they do not eliminate the risk of injury.

A previous ankle sprain is particularly important to address. If an ankle has not fully recovered, a player may experience repeated sprains, reduced balance, or a feeling that the ankle is giving way.

What can help? Rehabilitation following an ankle sprain should address strength, balance, joint control, and sport-specific movements. Returning to play before recovering these abilities can increase the risk of another injury.

4. Shoulder and Upper-Body Injuries

Body contact, falls, and collisions with the boards can result in shoulder injuries, bruising, and other upper-body trauma.

Depending on the mechanism of injury, concerns may include shoulder sprains, muscle strains, collarbone fractures, or injuries to the shoulder joint.

Pain, swelling, reduced range of motion, or difficulty using the arm after a collision should not be ignored. Significant injuries require prompt medical evaluation.

5. Concussions

Concussions are an important concern in youth hockey. They can occur following a collision, a fall, or a blow to the head or body that causes the brain to move rapidly within the skull.

Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light or noise, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, or changes in mood. Symptoms do not always appear immediately.

If a concussion is suspected, the player should be removed from play immediately and assessed by a qualified healthcare professional. A player should not return to hockey the same day and should follow a medically guided, graduated return-to-sport process.

Any signs of a potentially serious head injury, including worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, increasing confusion, or difficulty waking, require emergency medical attention.

How Can Parents Help Reduce the Risk of Hockey Injuries?

No approach can prevent every injury, but a few consistent habits can help young players prepare for the physical demands of hockey.

Build Strength Before the Season Gets Busy

Hockey requires more than strong legs. Players benefit from developing strength and control throughout the body, including the hips, core, upper body, and lower limbs.

A well-rounded program may include:

• Squats, lunges, and other lower-body strengthening exercises

• Hip and glute strengthening

• Single-leg balance and control exercises

• Core stability work

• Age-appropriate jumping, landing, and change-of-direction drills

Exercises should be matched to the player's age, experience, physical development, and current abilities. Good technique and gradual progression are more important than lifting heavy weights or completing an intense workout.

Warm Up Before Hitting the Ice

A few minutes of preparation can help players transition from rest to high-intensity activity.

A dynamic warm-up might include light jogging, controlled lunges, leg swings, balance drills, and movement patterns that gradually increase in intensity.

The goal is to prepare the body for the movements and demands of the session rather than relying on a few quick stretches immediately before playing.

Increase Training Gradually

The transition from summer activities to a busy hockey schedule can be demanding. Practices, games, tournaments, off-ice conditioning, and school commitments can quickly add up.

When possible, increase training demands progressively and allow time for recovery. Persistent fatigue, declining performance, recurring pain, or changes in movement may indicate that a player needs their training load reviewed.

Prioritize Sleep, Nutrition, and Recovery

Growing athletes need adequate energy and recovery to support both sport and normal development.

Encourage regular, balanced meals, sufficient hydration, consistent sleep, and rest between demanding sessions. Recovery should be treated as part of training, not as something that only happens when a player is injured.

Make Sure Equipment Fits Properly

Appropriately fitted, well-maintained equipment is essential. Skates, helmets, shoulder pads, shin guards, and other protective equipment should fit correctly and meet applicable safety requirements.

Protective equipment reduces certain risks but cannot eliminate the possibility of injury, particularly concussions.

When Should a Hockey Injury Be Assessed?

It can be tempting for young athletes to push through discomfort, particularly during an important stretch of the season. However, pain that persists, worsens, or repeatedly returns deserves attention.

Consider arranging an assessment if your child experiences:

• Pain that limits skating, running, jumping, or everyday activities

• Recurring groin, hip, knee, or ankle discomfort

• Repeated ankle sprains or a feeling of instability

• Reduced range of motion or strength following an injury

• Symptoms that do not improve with appropriate rest and modification of activity

Seek urgent medical care for suspected fractures, significant swelling or deformity, inability to bear weight, serious head injuries, or other concerning symptoms.

Early assessment can help clarify what is contributing to the symptoms and identify an appropriate plan for recovery. The goal is not simply to get a player back on the ice as quickly as possible, but to help them return safely and confidently.

How Chiropractic Care and Sports Rehabilitation Can Help

When an injury occurs, the appropriate treatment depends on the nature of the injury, the player's symptoms, and their stage of recovery.

At Summerhill Health Centre, our approach to musculoskeletal care combines individualized assessment with treatment and rehabilitation strategies suited to each person's needs.

Depending on the circumstances, care may include:

• Chiropractic care: Assessment and management of musculoskeletal concerns, with treatment tailored to the individual.

• Rehabilitation and exercise therapy: Targeted exercises to develop strength, mobility, balance, and movement control.

• Massage therapy: Support for muscle tension and recovery, as appropriate to the injury and stage of healing.

• Acupuncture: An option for certain musculoskeletal pain conditions when clinically appropriate.

Not every hockey injury requires hands-on treatment, and some injuries need medical assessment or referral before rehabilitation begins. A concussion, suspected fracture, or significant ligament injury, for example, requires appropriate medical care.

A personalized plan can help young athletes address their current symptoms, rebuild the physical capacities required for hockey, and progress toward a safe return to sport.

Keep Your Young Athlete Healthy This Hockey Season

Hockey offers so many benefits for young athletes, from physical fitness to friendships and confidence. Supporting those benefits means paying attention to preparation, recovery, and early signs that something may not be right.

By building strength, progressing training gradually, wearing properly fitted equipment, and addressing injuries early, parents can help their players make the most of the season.

If your child is experiencing a persistent sports-related injury or recurring musculoskeletal pain, the team at Summerhill Health Centre can help determine whether an assessment and rehabilitation plan may be appropriate.

Summerhill Health Centre provides chiropractic care, massage therapy, acupuncture, and rehabilitation-focused treatment in Toronto's Summerhill neighbourhood.

Visit our online booking page to learn more or schedule an appointment.

Dr. Nicole Ballantyne

Published: October 2026