Hockey is a contact sport in which there are frequent collisions between players. The collisions can be either accidental or deliberate. In addition, players can collide either with the boards along the boundary of the rink or with the ice. A possible result of these collisions is a damaged shoulder. More specifically, a player may suffer a shoulder separation injury in the form of damage to the acromioclavicular (AC) joint. Recovery from this injury requires resting the joint and allowing the damaged structures to heal naturally. This process will be faster if the player choses to use one of a number of shoulder supports for hockey injuries.

Shoulder separation involves tearing of one or more of the ligaments connecting the collar bone to the shoulder blade. In addition to falling onto your shoulder, this injury can be the result of trying to break a fall with your hand or experiencing a blow to the shoulder. These are two scenarios that are relatively common in hockey. For recovery to take place, the torn ligament requires a chance to rest. This can be helped by using a shoulder support for hockey (e.g. an arm sling) that will  relieve the shoulder of the weight of the arm .This will in turn reduce the strain on the joint. In addition to promoting the healing process, a shoulder support will reduce pain. Although you (obviously) cannot wear your shoulder support while playing, you will benefit from wearing it whenever you can. This will give your shoulder ligaments as much rest as possible and promote their recovery.

Using shoulder supports for hockey injuries is therefore an effective treatment after experiencing an injury. However, an even better approach is to reduce the risk of such an injury in the first place. One way of doing so is to follow an effective off season training program for hockey players. The better the player’s physical condition, the lower the risk of any type of injury.