Injuries in Field Hockey – How can Ace Sports Clinic Help?

Field hockey demands a high level of physical fitness, agility, and strength, requiring athletes to engage in continuous running, rapid change of direction and intense lower body activity. 

Ace Sports Clinic has been heavily involved in assisting the Hawthorn Hockey  Club premier league men’s and women’s teams over the last several seasons to minimise time spent on the sidelines from a hockey related injury.  I have also had the privilege to assist Hockey Club Melbourne’s women’s team which competes around Australia in the highly competitive Hockey1 league.  

Hockey really is a full body sport. Players often experience repetitive strain on their lower extremities, particularly the knees, hips, and ankles, due to the constant running, acceleration and deceleration and directional shifts.  The sport also places significant demands on the upper body, especially the wrists, forearms, and shoulders, due to the stick handling and ball control.

Contact Injuries
Due to the impact of sticks, the ball, or collisions with other players, players are vulnerable to fractures, muscle contusions, subluxations, and ligament injuries in a variety of areas.

Soft Tissue Injuries:
M uscle strains are common in field hockey due to the high-speed, forward bent posture and lateral movements involved.  These injuries can affect various muscle groups, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, calf muscles, and the back.  

Overuse Injuries:
Given the long field hockey season, overuse injuries are prevalent. These can manifest as tendinopathies, particularly proximal hamstring tendinopathy and gluteal tendinopathy, stress fractures, upper back and neck pain, and hip flexor tightness/overload.

Concussion:
Field hockey is a contact sport, and head collisions, whether from an accidental clash of heads, a stick, or a ball, do occur throughout the season.  These incidents require immediate examination and ongoing monitoring to ensure a safe return to play.