With youth hockey, injuries are bound to happen. Hockey is a fast-paced game and requires extreme attention at all times. The most important thing regardless of the injuries received, as soon as the injury happens the player needs looked at immediately. Injuries include a cut, a bang, a twist, a tear, or a break. When you are hurt, report it even if it is not seen, if left unattended the injury could worsen to a very painful and uncomfortable way to play hockey.

The teams head coach and management should have a clearly outlined injury management program. For safety, all injuries that require removal of a youth player from participation should be assessed by a physician. The team should not allow any player that has been removed back for practices and games until approval from a physician. A youth player returning to regular activities when an injury is not properly healed could result in further injury.

An injured player should still be involved with the team it is imperative to the mental state of the player and team. Depending upon the severity of the injury the player could be given a role in the operation of game day and sitting near, not on the bench, on game day. It is important for the injured player to still feel apart of the team. This will no doubt help in the recovery. All children play for the love of the game, an injured hockey player will have doubts about themselves and their abilities.

A hockey player that is recovering from an injury will be anxious to get back and play the game. The three main keys that prevent or slow recovery are severity of the injury, lack of knowledge about the injury and insufficient rest. The main reason, other than severity, is that a player will likely have a lack of knowledge about the injury, in that they cannot describe the pain or will not say anything in case the injury is bad enough to take him off the ice for a period.

Rest and sleep are extremely important parts of ensuring recovery and injury prevention. It is recommended that youth hockey players receive nine to eleven hours of sleep per night. Getting enough sleep each night promotes recovery from workouts, growth, and development. A player who lacks sleep will not provide his best performance and risking injury.

After recovery from an injury and the injury is healed, you will need to work the muscles and bones again. There are several different ways to help prepare you for getting back into the game again. Massages help greatly in relieving clotting and stiffness, machines or a therapist can aide in working with the muscles and limbs to stimulate them and be ready for activity. Exercise is the most important method of readiness; this helps the body gain strength and flexibility.

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